Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:
19-year-old Cameron L. Duke, of Aurora, was charged with a felony count of burglary for breaking into an Aurora fire station last week and stealing a firefighter’s backpack.
About 4:30 p.m. July 2, firefighters left Aurora Fire Department Station 8, 3770 McCoy Drive, to respond to an emergency, leaving the firehouse empty. When they returned about a half hour later, one of the firefighters noticed that his backpack had gone missing from his bunk. The bag contained personal items that were valued at $450.
About 1:50 p.m. the following day, officers responded to a single-vehicle crash in the 300 block of Gregory Street. When they arrived, the officers found Duke behind the wheel of his 2006 Chevrolet Impala and learned that he’d crashed into an unoccupied, parked car after failing to negotiate a turn.
An officer noticed a strong odor of burnt cannabis coming from Duke’s car as he questioned him about the crash. After Duke agreed to a search of the car, the officer found the stolen backpack in the back seat. Some of the items that were stolen from the fire station were still in the bag.
Duke, who refused medical treatment at the scene, was then taken into custody. He was also cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Investigators believe Duke entered a door that firefighters left unlocked when they left the station.
