St. Louis man charged with burglary following Alton Police undercover operation

ALTON - Alton Police today announced a 40-year-old St. Louis man had been arrested in response to reports of several significant, and repeated, retail thefts at Alton Square, on Wednesday, Sept.26, 2018.

The arrest was made during an Alton Police undercover operation. Alton Police said in a release that during the operation, undercover officers observed Willie Gillespie commit a retail theft. Other officers conducted surveillance on Gillespie and then a traffic stop on the vehicle Gillespie was driving on Landmarks Boulevard in Alton.

"The investigation revealed that, in under one hour, Gillespie committed thefts at Target, Ross Dress for Less and JC Penney prior to being stopped and arrested by the Alton Police," the Alton Police said.

Gillespie was charged by the Madison County State’s Attorney with three counts of burglary on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018. Bond for the aforementioned charges was set at $75,000 by the honorable Judge Tognarelli. Gillespie remains in custody at the Alton Jail.

These charges, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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