3 Texas men arrested in Illinois bank 'jugging' scheme

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Jamond D. Johnson, age 27, of Windemere, Texas.Jontrey R. Houston, age 24, of Houston, Texas. Anthony D. Mackintrush, age 24, of Dallas, Texas. (Source: Elmhurst, IL Police Department)

DALLAS - Three Texas men have been arrested and charged in a bank "jugging" incident in Illinois, according to the Elmhurst Police Department. The men are from Dallas, Houston, and Windemere, which is just outside of Austin.

Bank Jugging

The backstory:

Elmhurst Police Chief Michael McLean says, "Jugging is when criminals watch victims withdrawing money from their bank, then follow them to another location to steal cash either by breaking into their cars or robbing them."

Chief McLean says on May 29, around 10 a.m., Elmhurst Police received a 911 call to a parking lot for a vehicle burglary. When officers arrived, a witness reported seeing a man break the window of a parked car, then get into the backseat of a gray SUV that drove away from the scene.

Officers found the owner of the car, who said he withdrew cash from the bank across the street, then went straight to the store. He said the cash he withdrew was stolen from his locked vehicle. He said there was a gray SUV parked next to him when he was at the bank parking lot.

Surveillance video revealed the gray SUV had a fake paper Tennessee temporary registration tag. 

At 1 p.m., officers were notified the same vehicle was involved with another vehicle burglary and was headed west on the expressway. 

At 1:25 p.m., Elmhurst officers found the gray SUV parked in an accessible parking spot at the front doors of a Wells Fargo Bank in Elmhurst, IL. There were three men inside the vehicle. 

They were taken into custody. 

Police say they found a metal window punch, stolen cash, cannabis and a pill containing a controlled substance.

Suspects Identified

What we know:

Jamond D. Johnson, age 27, of the 5400 block of St. Lo, Windemere, Texas, was charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, and unlawful possession of cannabis by passenger.

Jontrey R. Houston, age 24, of the 5800 block of Overdale St., Houston, Texas, was charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, improper use of registration, and unauthorized use of handicapped parking.

Anthony D. Mackintrush, age 24, of the 9700 block of Forest Ln., Dallas, Texas, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

They were booked into the DuPage County Jail.

What they're saying:

"Fortunately, Elmhurst’s network of public safety cameras was able to identify the suspects and their vehicle, leading to their quick apprehension when they made the mistake of coming back to our community," said Chief McLean.