* subscribe at http://techPolice.com LAKE FOREST THEFT PROBE LED TO ONLINE AUCTION SITE By Nancy Ryan Chicago Tribune Staff Writer January 20, 2001 The arrest this week of a former Lake Forest police officer on charges he burglarized upscale homes and country clubs while on duty resulted from a complicated investigation that eventually led to the Internet's most popular auction site, law-enforcement officials said Friday. Robert J. Coyle, a 12-year officer, was not considered a suspect in the burglaries, which occurred between the summers of 1999 and 2000, until "we had ruled out every other situation we could think of," Lake Forest Police Chief Michael Hosking said. But Police Department records showed that Coyle, 34, was on duty in the area during the burglaries, or he was the initial officer at the scene after they were reported, Hosking said at a Waukegan news conference. Furthermore, "none of the burglaries looked like burglaries," Hosking said. There were never any signs of forced entry and nothing was ransacked. Law-enforcement officials said they still aren't sure how Coyle allegedly broke into the five sites: Knollwood Country Club, Conway Farms Golf Club and three neighboring homes, which were burglarized while the owners were away on business or vacation. Though Lake Forest police are usually asked by vacationing homeowners to watch their houses, they are not given keys to the homes. Since news broke of Coyle's arrest Thursday, "we've received calls from other people who feel they may have been victims as well," Lake County State's Atty. Michael Waller said at the news conference. The stolen items included a Tiffany 18-karat gold watch, Minolta camera equipment and high-end golf clubs by Ping, Titleist, Callaway and Cobra, Waller said. The items were worth a total of $15,000 to $20,000, he said. The first major break in the case occurred in September, when an investigator discovered Coyle had an account with a popular Internet auction site, authorities said. After his account records were subpoenaed, stolen items were tracked to and confiscated from buyers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Tennessee, who were unaware of the crimes, authorities said. Stolen items also were found in Las Vegas, where Coyle had briefly lived after leaving the Lake Forest Police Department, authorities said. Police there have charged Coyle with possession of stolen property. Coyle--indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on 25 felony counts of burglary, theft and official misconduct charges--had become a suspect by the time he resigned from the department in June, Hosking said. After leaving the Lake Forest police force, Coyle may have relocated to Las Vegas to explore "other law-enforcement opportunities," Waller said, but Coyle recently returned to the area, where he began working in a factory in Elk Grove Village. He was arrested at the factory Thursday night, Waller said. When Coyle applied for work with the Lake Forest Police Department in 1988, he passed standard criminal background checks. Coyle was still being held Friday in Lake County Jail after a judge set his bond at $500,000. He is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 1. --- Support our Sponsor ------------------------------------ Become a Fool: Get out of debt. Learn how to invest. Retire early. Take control of your finances. Register to become a Fool! It's FREE! Get investment freebies too. Click here http://click.topica.com/aaabd5b1dhr0b1uN1Ic/MotleyFool ------------------------------------------------------------ --via http://techPolice.com archive: http://theMezz.com/cybercrime/archive unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] url: http://theMezz.com/alerts ____________________________________________________________ T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
