Cops: Man Caught Swiping Lawn Items from 12 Different Homes

An Orland Park man is looking at nine misdemeanor charges against him, after he was caught with a van full of lawn decorations, plants and other property taken from area homes.

Police were called on May 28 about a suspicious white van driving near the 14400 block of Brentwood Avenue with its rear doors open, according to a release from the . Officers found a man in his driveway unloading landscape lights, plants and several other items from the van, including a recently planted rose bush and an American flag, according to police.

“He was busy that night,” Orland Park Police Sgt. Scott Malmborg said. “There were 12 different theft incidents.”

Shaun P. Shostack, 25, of the 14500 block of Poplar Road in Orland Park, was first charged with seven counts of theft. On May 31, he was charged with two additional counts of theft, when people identified other items found in his van as stolen.

Shostack could have been charged with three other counts, but the victims in those cases chose not to file, Malmborg said.

A 5-foot American flag, often displayed alongside a house, still hasn’t been claimed, according to police.

Shostack is scheduled next to be in court in Bridgeview on June 28.

Police report information is provided by law enforcement agencies, including the . Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

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