Duo charged with stealing $1K in food, pharmacy items from Lisle grocery store

Two men have been charged with shoplifting more than $1,000 worth of merchandise Wednesday night from a grocery store in west suburban Lisle.

Officers were called at 11:41 p.m. for reports of a theft in progress at Jewel-Osco, 1156 Maple Ave. in Lisle, according to a statement from Lisle police.

Michael P. Laffey, 44, and Andino Medina III, 43, grabbed food and “over-the-counter beauty and pharmaceutical items” before running out of the store and driving away in a Chevrolet van, police said.

A Burr Ridge police officer spotted the van a short time later on northbound I-55 near County Line Road, police said. The officer pulled the van over and Lisle police responded to take Laffey and Medina into custody. Investigators found approximately $1,200 in goods stolen from the Jewel-Osco inside the van.

Both men were charged with a single count of retail theft over $300, police said. Medina was also charged with aggravated DUI and aggravated driving while license revoked.

Laffey, who lives in Chicago’s West Side Lawndale neighborhood, and Medina, who lives in Logan Square on the Northwest Side, were both taken to the DuPage County Jail, police said.

Laffey’s bail was set at $2,000 while Medina was ordered held without bail, according to the DuPage County sheriff’s office. Both men were due back in court on Feb. 20.