Chicago parolee charged with bike theft in Riverside

A Chicago man who was out on parole for burglary charges was charged last month with stealing a bicycle in west suburban Riverside.

Just after 1 a.m. on June 25, an officer spotted Earl I. Toomer, 21, dressed in dark clothing riding a bicycle with no lights near Nuttall and Loudon roads, according to a statement from Riverside police.

Police said the cyclist “seemed to be aimlessly wandering from driveway to driveway,” and the officer stopped him.

Toomer provided an ID card, but did not speak to the officer further. The officer recognized Toomer as the person who was arrested in Riverside in July 2013 and charged with seven counts of burglary, police said.

The officer ran the bicycle’s serial number and found the bike, a MYKA bike worth more than $800, had been reported stolen out of River Forest on June 23, police said. Officers also found an iPod mini, a senior citizen’s free ride pass that did not have his name on it, and a set of keys that weren’t his.

Toomer, of the 1500 block of South Kedvale in Chicago, was charged with one misdemeanor count of theft and ordered held on a $10,000 bond, police said.

“I am very disappointed that felony charges were rejected and that the Illinois Department of Corrections would not file a parole violation at this time,” Riverside police Chief Tom Weitzel said in the statement.

“However, I do praise the officer who was on aggressive residential patrol and spotted Mr. Toomer before he could commit more crimes in Riverside. For that I am truly grateful,” he said.

Toomer was on parole for the previous burglary charges at the time of his arrest, according to the IDOC.