Grease thieves not slick enough to get away
JANESVILLE—Two Illinois men were arrested early Wednesday morning after allegedly stealing $370 worth of used restaurant grease.
David W. Clark, 21, of Rockford, Ill., and Enrique Jaime, 28, of Rockton, Ill., were each arrested on a charge of theft, said Sgt. Aaron Ellis.
A Sanimax driver, who at 3:21 a.m. Wednesday was pulling into Wendy’s, 1530 Milton Ave., scared the thieves off, Ellis said.
But as he followed them to Interstate 90/39, he kept updating police, who caught up with the alleged thieves just as they drove onto on the I-90/39 ramp at Highway 14 South, Ellis said.
This isn’t the first time grease thieves have hit Janesville, Ellis said.
On June 22, police received several complaints from Sanimax that reported 6,700 pounds of grease, valued at $2,500, had been taken from a bunch of restaurants in the city, he said.
“It’s pretty profitable,” Ellis said, of the grease, he was told is valued at 37 cents a pound.
“They (thieves) pump the used grease from a restaurant grease trap, owned by Sanimax, then transport it to companies that buy it and use it as biodiesel fuel,” he said.
Grease taken Wednesday night was worth $370, Ellis said.
Wednesday night’s thieves also are not believed to be the same people involved in the June grease thefts based on reports from the driver, who gave police a different description of the earlier thieves, Ellis said.
“It looks like there’s multiple groups working this scheme,” he said.
