Nine-time convicted felon Lamont Cathey was paroled on February 17, and he managed to make it through almost full eight days without being arrested again. Now, he’s facing identity theft charges after a tenacious theft victim tracked him down in Lincoln Park last week.
Last Thursday afternoon, the victim secured his property in a locker at Lakeshore Sports & Fitness, 1320 West Fullerton, and went to exercise, according to prosecutors and police records. When he returned, he found the locker open and his wallet missing.
Before long, he received an alert that someone was using his Chase credit card at a nearby business. The man went there, secured surveillance images of the person who used his card, and went home, prosecutors said.
Then, he received another alert that someone was using one of his other credit cards at Squeeze Juice Bar, 705 West Belden. He scurried over and realized that the guy in the other business’s surveillance images was there, enjoying a delicious smoothie. So, he called police.
Cops arrested Cathey, age 24, on the spot.
Prosecutors said Cathey had possession of the man’s wallet and debit cards. And Lakeshore Fitness video shows Cathey was in the building around the time of the theft, the state alleged.
Cathey is charged with two felony counts of identity theft. Judge Susana Ortiz said he could go home on electronic monitoring without posting cash bail. Before he can do that, though, he’ll need to talk with the Illinois Parole Board about the potential revocation of his parole.
According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, Cathey was released on February 17 after serving half of two concurrent 42-month sentences for burglary and aiding or abetting possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
In 2017, he was sentenced to two years for escaping electronic monitoring and three concurrent one-year terms for aggravated fleeing causing bodily injury.
He received two years for criminal damage to government property in 2015, two years for communicating with a witness in 2014, and two years for attempted burglary in 2014.