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Pair Break into Old Joliet Prison to Scavenge for Copper, Police Say

Officers noticed one of the suspects near a prison fence and found he was pushing a cartload of stolen metal, Cmdr. Al Roechner said.

 

Two men brazenly hauling away copper from the old Joliet Correctional Center were nabbed Monday afternoon when Joliet police just happened to spot them as they drove by, Joliet Cmdr. Al Roechner said.

Shaun Wesley Matheny, 30, and Dawson Abbitt, 19, both of Lockport, are accused of breaking into the closed 1127 Collins St. prison sometime prior to being discovered at 2:50 p.m. and helping themselves to sheets of copper they planned to sell, Roechner said.

Police officers noticed Abbitt along a prison fence while doing a routine patrol down Collins Street and stopped to see what he was doing, Roechner said. They found him pushing a cart containing sections of cut copper plates through a fence opening, he said.

The pair admitted they'd had been inside the prison -- made famous in the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers" -- several times and sold the metal they found to Berlinsky Scrap Corp. in Joliet, Roechner said.

Both were charged with burglary and are being held in the Will County jail -- Matheny in lieu of $10,000 bond and Abbitt in lieu of $5,000 bond.

According to jail records, which are incomplete, Matheny has several previous arrests under his belt, including one on a robbery charge in August 2009 and two for felony theft in May 2009 and in February 2008.

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Related Topics: Joliet Correctional Center, Joliet Police Department, copper stolen from closed prison, and two arrested for burglary

anonymous

12:11 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

these entrepreneurs should be rewarded in this crappy economy-instead of acting like politicians and arguing over what to do the prison-they got off of their a**es and did something instead of just stealing via taxes from other men's labors. if they only would have paid off Joliet's finest with a few boxes of Home Cut donuts they would still be plying their trade and recycling a valuable commodity.

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Lockport Resident

6:39 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Theft is theft .... Next you'll be justifying the killing of someone.....

Jax

6:46 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Is it really theft if its tax payer owned come on lets be honest here people are starting to do things in desperate need you don't know if these two have kids to feed..Can't say I would try the same thing if it meant keeping a roof and food in my kids bellies..No work means folks are gonna do what it takes

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John Roberts

7:46 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

think this is bad...keep an eye on Florida.. with the drug testing of people who are on public aid...all the people they cut off will be doing this same thing...people do it now and get food stamps..let alone nothing at all...

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boozer mcgee

8:07 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

They should put all of Illinois corrupt politicians at this facility in it's current condition, and allow the public to see how their tax dollars are put to work...probably not big enough to house just the Chicago dirty politicians!

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anonymous

8:44 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

How is an arbitrary taking of another's labor(taxes) not theft? If I walked up to you and told you I wanted 50% of your labor or you would be imprisoned what would you think? You have to open your mind as to the role of govt as it relates to what you want your money to go to-yourself-or some crack whore?

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jono100

10:09 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hope they don't steal the Copper from the county jail...

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Muha

12:53 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Anonymous, why are you constantly saying negative things about the police?

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Pat Magroin

6:12 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013

@Muha, i've been reading the comments by anonymous. He's a complete loon. I think last week someone called him a "rebel without a clue". He's the typical white trailer trash unemployed GED loser. He has to blame everyone but himself for the fact he's failed at life. I'm sure he thinks the gov't is tapping his phones and spying on him

Joliet Girl

3:10 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Why are the jail records incomplete????

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Karen Sorensen

4:57 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Because they don't include all of the arrests someone might have on the jail booking list given to the media, and we don't know the disposition of the cases.

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Mechelle

9:12 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013

I bet they get more time than Mr and Mrs Jessie Jackson.....

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