Police have warned libraries in Chicago's western suburbs to take a careful inventory of their books and multimedia after arresting a Glen Ellyn man who had been selling thousands of stolen library materials online.
James F. Jackson, 43, was arrested Friday in his second-floor apartment at 385 Spruce Ln. after police executing a search warrant found thousands of reference materials in his home and car, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. His collection of "expensive books" and other reference material was so expansive that police had to use a box truck to transport the evidence to the station, Watch Cmdr. Ron Wilke told the Daily Herald.
Jackson has been charged with three felonies: theft of government property, library theft and theft/possession of stolen property over $300, and is being held in DuPage County Jail on $25,000 bond, Lisle police told the Daily Herald.
His arrest caps a four-month investigation into numerous thefts at the Lisle Public Library, according to the Sun-Times. Materials from other unnamed libraries were also found in his possession.
Jackson's Amazon.com account included a long list of books he had for sale, along with another list of items he didn't have on hand, but promised he could "acquire" for interested customers, Wilke told the Daily Herald.