Chatham man gets 17 years for robbing Lake Bluff cellphone store

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for robbing a cellphone store in north suburban Lake Bluff.

Aries Rickenbacker, 25, of Chatham on the South Side, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony count of armed robbery, the Lake County state’s attorney’s office said in a statement.

Rickenbacker was one of three people involved in a Sept. 18, 2017 cellphone store robbery in the 200 block of South Waukegan Road in Lake Bluff, prosecutors said.

They entered the store about 4:10 p.m. and ordered two workers into a back room, prosecutors said. Rickenbacker was armed when he allegedly tied up the victims.

They stole 23 phones worth about $16,100 from the store, prosecutors said. The men drove off in a vehicle, but the employees called police, who were able to track the men with the GPS locators in the stolen phones.

Lake Bluff and Highland Park police found the suspect’s vehicle and chased them a short distance, prosecutors said. The were arrested after their car crashed into another vehicle in Highland Park.

Rickenbacker was later charged along with Eddie Hill, 26, the alleged get-away driver, and Cordell Prince, 22, prosecutors said.

Rickenbacker will receive credit for 683 days spent in Lake County Jail, prosecutors said. He must serve 50% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and will face three years of mandatory supervision when he is released from prison.

“This was a win-win situation for everyone involved,” State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said in the statement. “An armed offender was sent to prison for a crime he admitted he committed, but the sentence also allows him an opportunity to rehabilitate in order to become a better citizen. We hope he takes that time and uses it wisely.”

Prince pleaded guilty to armed robbery in March 2018, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hills pleaded guilty to armed robbery in November 2018 and received a sentence of 9 ¹⁄₂ years.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.