A 31-year-old Michigan man, Antonio L. Harris, has been charged in Lake County after police say he and his accomplices stole thousands of dollars in merchandise from multiple stores at Southlake Mall and were then linked to similar thefts in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
According to court documents, authorities investigated a series of coordinated thefts at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, and Macy’s stores in Hobart and Merrillville in mid-July 2025.
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Employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods at 2644 E. 79th Avenue stated that three men entered the business approximately 7:35 p.m. on July 17, 2025, stole more than $2,000 worth of men’s clothes, and escaped in a silver Kia. Minutes later, employees at Ulta Beauty, situated at 2395 E. 80th Avenue, reported that the same guys entered the store, filled reusable shopping bags with over $2,400 in fragrances, and then left without paying.
Four days later, on July 21, 2025, an employee at Macy’s in Southlake Mall reported two men stealing at least 15 pairs of designer sunglasses valued at more than $5,000, as well as purses costing around $200, before fleeing the store. Employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods stated that the same two males, along with a third suspect, returned to the store and stole over $3,000 in Nike tracksuits before fleeing in a silver Kia with a phony Michigan license plate.
Police said license plate reader cameras later monitored the Kia as it drove east through Lake County before being discovered in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Later that afternoon, police in Bradley, Illinois stopped the identical vehicle outside a Sally Beauty Supply store. The driver and passengers gave bogus names but were ultimately recognized as Antonio L. Harris, who matched images found in surveillance films of the Southlake Mall crimes.
Detectives used facial recognition software and Michigan driver’s license photographs to positively identify the culprit responsible for thefts not just in Indiana, but also at Ulta Beauty stores in Alpine, Grand Rapids, and Portage, Michigan, as well as comparable instances in Illinois.
Charges filed Sept. 12, 2025:
-  Corrupt Business Influence — Level 5 Felony
- Theft Where Property Value Is Between $750 and $50,000 — Level 6 Felony (Four Counts)
November 6, 2025, lodged in the Lake County Jail.
*Three additional individuals have been charged in this case.
