38-year old man previously brandished gun and fled with cash
SYCAMORE — A 38-year-old Hampshire man was arrested Friday night after the Kane County Sheriff's Office determined it had interacted with him, in an unrelated incident, the same day he allegedly robbed a Sycamore gas station at gunpoint.
Michael J. Wesbrock, 38, of the 400 block of South Street, Hampshire, reportedly brandished a black semi-automatic handgun at the clerk of the BP gas station at 1615 DeKalb Ave. around 4 p.m. Wednesday and fled with an undisclosed amount of money, Sycamore Police Cmdr. Michael Anderson previously said.
Sycamore police, a Genoa police K-9 unit and DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputies were unable to locate Wesbrock immediately following the incident, but investigators worked to collect surveillance footage from security cameras near the gas station, according to a news release from the Sycamore Police Department.
The video revealed more detailed images of the suspect and a vehicle. After releasing an image to law enforcement, posting it on social media and providing it to local media, police were able to identify Wesbrock around 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Sycamore detectives then learned that Kane County Sheriff's deputies had contact with Wesbrock on the same day the robbery occurred in an unrelated incident. Deputies were able to locate Wesbrock at his residence around 9:40 p.m. Friday and arrest him without incident.
Wesbrock was transferred to the Sycamore Police Department, interviewed and charged with armed robbery.
"The diligence of the detectives and the support provided by the DeKalb Police Department along with the DeKalb and Kane County Sheriff's Office[s] were the keys to identifying the suspect and taking him into custody," Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters said. "This case was a good example of assistance from the public combining with solid interagency cooperation."
The weapon displayed during the robbery had not yet been recovered early Saturday morning, according to the release.
Wesbrock was transported to DeKalb County jail prior to a bond hearing.