Crime & Safety
Will County, IL Armed Robbery: 74 Stolen Phones, 5 Guns Recovered Oct 12
New Lenox, IL – A weekend armed robbery at a Verizon store in Will County has led to an arrest, the recovery of dozens of stolen phones and five firearms, including one allegedly modified to fire auto
By Nora Whitfield · 2026-10-13T02:08:31.115Z
New Lenox, IL – A weekend armed robbery at a Verizon store in Will County has led to an arrest, the recovery of dozens of stolen phones and five firearms, including one allegedly modified to fire automatically. Police confirmed Monday that their investigation remains active.
According to the New Lenox Police Department , three individuals armed with handguns allegedly confronted an employee shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, as the employee was opening the Verizon store. The individuals demanded cellular phones before leaving.
Detectives launched an investigation that led to five individuals being taken into custody in Chicago.
On Monday, Oct. 12, police obtained an arrest warrant for Dre yone Dyer of Chicago in connection with the robbery. The Will County State's Attorney's Office approved a Class X felony armed robbery charge. Dyer was processed and transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility.
During the investigation, detectives also encountered Niquan Candler of Aurora, who had an active warrant from Livingston County. Candler was transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility pending transfer to Livingston County. Police did not identify him as charged in the Verizon robbery.
Investigators reported recovering:
74 stolen cellular phones. Five firearms, including one modified to function as a fully automatic weapon. Two stolen vehicles. Police said the remaining individuals have not been charged in connection with the armed robbery.
The department also raised concerns about repeat offenders and challenges involving pretrial detention procedures under Illinois' SAFE T Act. Police reported that the five individuals taken into custody have a combined history of 17 arrests and nine convictions.
Authorities emphasized that the absence of additional charges does not mean the investigation has concluded.
Detectives will continue working with the Will County State's Attorney's Office as additional evidence develops.
The investigation remains ongoing.