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Police: Janitor Stole Laptop, Called Tech Support For Help

(STMW) – A Far South Side janitorial worker charged with stealing a laptop from the U.S. EPA's field office in Chicago was busted after allegedly calling the computer maker's help line for assistance when he couldn't get it to work.

Alan Baker, 35, of the 13000 block of South Houston Avenue, was on a temporary assignment at the EPA office at the time a laptop and two smartphones were stolen in December, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators figured out Baker had the laptop when he contacted the manufacturer's help line for assistance, a release from the sheriff's office said.

Sheriff's police and federal investigators spoke to Baker at his home on March 25 and arrested him after finding the stolen computer and cell phones there, according to police.

Baker was charged with one count of theft of government property, a Class 2 felony, and was ordered held at the Cook County Jail on a $10,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. on April 1.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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