A 46-year-old Chicago man faces multiple felony charges after Davenport and Clinton Police investigated a four-state ring of thefts from semi-truck facilities.
Demetrius Daniels faces two charges of first-degree theft, two charges of first-degree criminal mischief, and two charges of third-degree burglary, court documents say.
On Aug. 17, 2020, Davenport Police responded to GTG Peterbilt, 8100 N. Fairmount St., Davenport, for a report of a burglary.
Officers found damage to the lock/chain securing the gate of the lot, and they found numerous tires had been removed/stolen from semis parked in the service/sales lot. “This caused damage to the rims from which the tires had been pried off of,” police say in arrest affidavits.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Aug. 5, 2021, Davenport Police responded to Peterbilt again for a report of a burglary. Once again, the lock had been cut to the gate and numerous semi tires had been pried off semis in the lot and stolen. Again, this caused damage to the rims from which the tires had been pried. “In both cases, large rental box trucks were utilized,” affidavits say.
The suspects left behind two drinking-water bottles, police allege in affidavits. During an investigation from another jurisdiction, police found that several suspects, including Daniels, had been committing burglaries and thefts from semi-truck dealers and repair centers in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Daniels and another suspect were identified as suspects in the two thefts in Davenport. GPS coordinates supplied by a Clinton Police Detective show a truck rented by Daniels was found in the lot at 8100 N. Fairmount St. on Aug. 16, 2020, from 8:13-9:20 a.m. “This coincides with the security video of the burglary,” affidavits say.
Two men are seen on security video, “both wearing medical masks and distinctive clothing. One is tall and thin build and one is short and heavy build,” affidavits say. “The tall thin suspect’s mask comes down, showing his face.” Police have identified the suspect as Daniels’ co-defendant.
“They are driving a Budget rental truck. The short heavy suspect matches the physical appearance of Daniels and is linked to the rental of the truck through (the Clinton) investigation,” police allege in affidavits.
Swabs were collected from “items left behind by the suspects,” affidavits say. Samples were sent to the Iowa State Crime Lab, where a DNA profile was developed and found to have come from Demetrius Daniels, police allege in affidavits.
Daniels, who was arrested on a warrant, was transported from the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Scott County Jail, where he was in custody on Thursday. He is set for a preliminary hearing Friday in Scott County Court.
