16-year-old Vernon Hills girl charged with stealing Apple watches

A teenage girl has been charged with stealing three Apple watches from people selling them online in north suburban Vernon Hills.

The 16-year-old was charged with two counts of theft and one count of possession of a controlled substance, according to Vernon Hills police.

On Thursday, a Vernon Hills resident selling an Apple watch on Craigslist agreed to meet a potential buyer at Grosse Pointe Park, police said. The seller was in her vehicle with her daughter while the suspect looked at the watch, and when the seller turned her attention to her daughter, the suspect ran away with the watch.

The next day, a Gurnee resident selling two Apple watches on OfferUp agreed to meet a potential buyer in the first block of Warson Court, police said. The suspect was inspecting the watches and said she needed to go into the house for money, then walked into the backyard.

A few minutes later, the seller knocked on the door to the home and was told by a woman inside that the suspect did not live there, police said.

Investigators identified the suspect as the 16-year-old Vernon Hills girl based on descriptions, witnesses and video surveillance, police said.

She was taken into custody Friday and referred to the Lake County Juvenile Court, police said. Her name was not released.

Vernon Hills police offer their station as a place to conduct any transaction that originates on the Internet. The parking lot and lobby at 740 Lakeview Pkwy. can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week.