Man Accused Of Stealing Blackhawks Banners

By Anna Deem in News on Jun 5, 2010 6:30PM

Russell Marcordes, 46, of south suburban Oak Forest, was caught on camera early Friday morning with a ladder and wire cutters, after stealing two Chicago Blackhawks banners from the lamp posts outside of City Hall, police said. Marcordes has been charged with misdemeanor theft, according to the release from police News Affairs via the Chicago Sun-Times.

Around 3 a.m. on Friday, an officer monitoring the video cameras at City Hall watched as Marcordes climbed a ladder at West Washington and North Clark streets and cut the wires from the banner hanging on a lamp post. The officer alerted other officers and they continued to watch as Marcordes went to a second lamp post at North LaSalle and West Randolph streets to do the same thing, before returning to his car, the release stated. Officers stopped Marcordes in the 100 block of North LaSalle Street, recovered the banners, and took him into custody. He is due to appear in court on June 28.