Someone spray-painted a Flock license plate reader camera near Front Street and Ellis Avenue in Wheaton on Wednesday, July 1, and cut its wires, the Wheaton Police Department reported in its latest crime blotter.

No suspects have been identified. Similar acts of vandalism have taken place in DuPage County. On Sunday, July 26, Lisle police caught three men stealing and vandalizing five Flock cameras, leading to felony charges announced the next day by State's Attorney Robert Berlin, Lisle Police Chief Michael Rodriguez, and Sheriff James Mendrick.

The Wheaton camera was damaged at approximately 5:36 p.m. on July 1, according to the Wheaton police blotter published by Patch. No connection between the Wheaton incident and the Lisle arrests has been confirmed by authorities.

Lisle arrests add DuPage context

Anthony Pareigis, 34, and Jacob Steichmann, 32, both of Downers Grove, and Thomas Yano, 31, of Indian Head Park each face two counts of Theft of Government Property and two counts of Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property, the DuPage Policy Journal reported.

Lisle officers discovered five cameras stolen or vandalized around 1 a.m. on July 26. At 2:16 a.m., police spotted two men in black clothing approaching another camera. One carried a ladder; the other, identified as Pareigis, held a drill. Officers arrested Pareigis on the spot. A grey 2012 Subaru parked about 400 yards away held approximately five Flock cameras, a collapsible ladder, a saw, and power tools in plain view, according to Shaw Local.

Steichmann and Yano were arrested by Downers Grove police around 3:10 a.m. near Walnut Avenue and Curtiss Street. Each camera is valued at approximately $2,800.

All three were released pretrial because the charges are non-detainable under the SAFE-T Act.

"Anyone caught damaging or stealing an LPR will be met with the full force of the law and if found guilty face a significant amount of time behind bars," Berlin said in the July 27 announcement.

Wheaton's camera network

Wheaton operates 64 Flock cameras total: 20 on arterial roadways and 44 at retail locations and downtown parking garages. The 44 retail-area cameras are funded by a $122,000 Organized Retail Crime grant from the Illinois Attorney General's Office, according to city council records. As of late March 2026, the network was reading roughly 458,000 plates per day, generating alerts for stolen vehicles, vehicles tied to felonies, and missing-person cases.

The cameras capture plate numbers, vehicle make, model, and color. They do not record video or audio. Images are stored for 30 days and then deleted.

Other Wheaton blotter items

The same Wheaton police blotter reported two cars burglarized in the driveway of a home in the 500 block of Williston Street between 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27, and 5 a.m. Sunday, June 28. The victim told police money was stolen.

An electric scooter was taken from a locked bike rack at Rice Community Pool, 1777 Blanchard St., between 1:30 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 30.