Arrest warrant issued for suspect in car burglaries

Courtesy Photo
THE BRAIDWOOD POLICE Department posted this image on its Facebook page in hopes of identifying the subject who was connected to a cluster of car burglaries in the 500 block of North Railroad Street. The public helped identify the subject as Joshua Garrelts and an arrest warrant was issued for him on Sept. 19.

By: 
Staff report

On Sept. 19, the Braidwood Police Department issued a $100,000 arrest warrant for Joshua M. Garrelts, 26, of Braidwood, for a class three felony burglary charge, law enforcement reported.
The warrant was issued for Garrelts’ alleged involvement in a series of car burglaries that occurred in the 500 block of North Railroad Street in Braidwood during the night of Sept. 15 or early hours of Sept. 16.
Garrelts has yet to be apprehended.
Presently, two victims have come forward. Both had their purses stolen from their vehicles.
Braidwood Chief of Police Todd Lyons reported that items taken from other vehicles had been recovered, but those victims had yet to be verified.
Other vehicles were also rummaged through, but no items were missing, Lyons said.
After the initial victim reported a purse stolen on Sept. 16, police spoke with the victim’s neighbors and recovered a still frame from their video surveillance footage.
The Braidwood Police Department then posted the image to its Facebook page and asked for the public’s help identifying the subject.
The next day, on Sept. 17, it was announced in another post that the individual was identified based on a tip from the public.
Following this, the Braidwood Police Departmentt posted another message:
“Dear Criminals, I want to give you something to think about before you commit a crime. Last night we posted a picture of a person of interest that was involved in several car burglaries. Approximately 21 hours later that picture had reached 18,162 people on social media.”
Lyons said the police department is trying to use social media as a way to reach out to the public.
In the last month, 300 new people have followed the page, he said.
“It’s a beneficial tool for us to use to solve crime,” Lyons said.
To report any items missing from vehicles, contact the Braidwood Police Department at 815-458-2341.
Editor’s note: Persons named are innocent of any charges until proven guilty in a court of law.