(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A couple tried to shoplift nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Macy's store at Oakbrook Center with the help of children, authorities in DuPage County say.
Twenty-six-year-old Angelo Almaraz of Chicago and his domestic partner, 32-year-old Thalia Morales of Hammond, brought three of their children and a fourth minor into the store on Monday afternoon. The children ranged in age from infant to 13, according to officials.
The two oldest children picked out items from the children's section and gave them to Almaraz and Morales, who put them in shopping bags from another retail store, authorities allege.
Angelo Almaraz, left; Thalia MoralesDuPage County State
When a loss-prevention officer approached them, the group reportedly ran to their vehicle and drove off. An Oak Brook police officer was able to pull over the vehicle and found the bags with the stolen merchandise, officials said.
Almaraz and Morales face burglary and retail theft charges, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified. A judge this week declined to detain the adults before trial; they're next expected in court on Dec. 26.
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