A Chicago man, identified as Dewayne Lasley, has been charged with multiple felony counts of retail theft and a continuing financial crimes enterprise after a string of alleged thefts spanning over a year, according to a report by the Chicago Police Department. The 53-year-old resident of the 8800 block of S. Union was taken into custody by the Organized Retail Crime Task Force on September 4, 2024.

The arrest took place in the 600 block of S. 89th St., where Lasley was pegged as the suspect in a series of thefts at home improvement stores located in Chicago's 14th and 8th Districts. The alleged incidents, which resulted in seven counts of felony retail theft and one count of running a financial crimes enterprise, occurred between August 22, 2023, and August 23, 2024. A detention hearing for Lasley is scheduled at 2600 S. California on the day of the report's publication, September 5, 2024.

Details on the specific merchandise stolen were not released, but the charges suggest the value exceeded $300, a benchmark for felony theft in Illinois. The financial crimes charge indicates a pattern or plan of criminal activity, rather than isolated incidents. So far, no additional information has been made available regarding the details of Lasley's alleged operation or the total estimated value of the stolen goods.

For more information about Lasley's charges or related news, visit the Chicago Police Department's official website.