DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel announced that arrests were made over the weekend in relation to multiple thefts and burglaries.
Chief Brandel said that over the last few weeks, DPD received multiple reports of women over 50 being approached at Walmarts by a man asking for hospital directions. After the interactions, the women reported missing wallets, cards, and IDs. The stolen cards were used to make thousands of dollars in purchases and withdrawals.
The department believed the cases were linked but had little information regarding the identity of the suspects.
Last week, DPD was contacted by two police agencies in Iowa that had taken similar reports with similar suspect descriptions. One of the agencies was able to provide a vehicle description. By using the Flock License Plate Reader system, it was found that the suspect vehicle was active in Decatur.
Once the vehicle information was obtained, DPD was able to use Flock to monitor the vehicle. It was spotted at a Walmart in Jacksonville, where a similar theft occurred.
The vehicle was also spotted in Champaign. DPD Detectives contacted the Champaign Police Department to advise their Investigations Unit of the situation. The day after, Champaign PD located the vehicle at a hotel and began conducting surveillance.
DPD Detectives obtained and executed search warrants, with the assistance of CPD, on the hotel rooms. Evidence of the crimes was located and the suspects were arrested this past weekend.
The suspects indicate they are Romanian citizens and have been tentatively identified as Eugen Pribegeanu, a 36-year-old man, and Andreea Agapi, a 29-year-old woman. This investigation is on-going. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact detectives at 217-424-2734.
Chief Brandel thanked the University of Iowa and Carroll, Iowa police departments for their initial tip in the case. He also thanked the Champaign Police Department for the interdepartmental cooperation.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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