Michigan Man Charged and Arrested in Multi-State Retail Theft Ring Targeting Southlake Mall Stores
Hobart-A 31-year-old Michigan man, Antonio L. Harris, has been charged in Lake County, after police say he and several accomplices stole thousands of dollars in merchandise from multiple stores at Southlake Mall and were later tied to similar thefts across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
According to court documents, investigators looked into a series of coordinated thefts at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, and Macy’s in Hobart and Merrillville in mid-July 2025.
Employees at the Dick’s Sporting Goods store at 2644 E. 79th Avenue reported that three men entered around 7:35 p.m. on July 17, 2025, grabbed more than $2,000 worth of men’s clothing, and fled in a silver Kia. Minutes later, workers at Ulta Beauty, located at 2395 E. 80th Avenue, said the same men entered the store, filled reusable shopping bags with over $2,400 in fragrances, and ran out without paying.
Four days later, on July 21, 2025, an employee at Macy’s in Southlake Mall reported two men grabbing at least 15 pairs of designer sunglasses valued at more than $5,000, along with purses worth approximately $200, before running out of the store. That same day, employees at Dick’s Sporting Goods reported the same two men, along with a third suspect, entering the store again and taking over $3,000 in Nike tracksuits before fleeing in the silver Kia, which bore a fictitious Michigan license plate.
Police said license plate reader cameras later tracked the Kia speeding east through Lake County before being detected near Bourbonnais, Illinois. Later that afternoon, Bradley, Illinois police stopped the same vehicle outside a Sally Beauty Supply store. The driver and passengers provided false names but were later identified as Antonio L. Harris, who matched images taken from surveillance videos of the Southlake Mall thefts.
Detectives used facial recognition software and Michigan driver’s license photos to positively identify the suspect involved in thefts not only in Indiana but also at Ulta Beauty stores in Alpine, Grand Rapids, and Portage, Michigan, as well as similar incidents 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)
Lodged in the Lake County Jail November 6,2025
*Three other suspects have been charged in this case.
