Shorewood Home Invasion Suspect May Forfeit Truck

SHOREWOOD, IL - Back in March, homeowners in the Joliet, Shorewood and Plainfield area were unnerved when the Shorewood Police Department announced that an elderly woman had been beaten during a daytime home invasion on March 16. Five days later, 37-year-old Chicago resident Angelo Ristick was booked into the Will County Jail where he faces a $6 million bail. Now, the Will County State's Attorney's Office has filed a forfeiture complaint seeking to confiscate Ristick's 2016 Chevrolet Silverado.

The defendant has been charged with aggravated battery against a senior citizen. The forfeiture complaint also outlines how the Shorewood Police identified Ristick as their prime suspect.

While a Troy Fire Department ambulance was transporting the 80-year-old woman to the AMITA Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, the attack victim uttered, "Intruder," the complaint reads.

A Shorewood Police officer subsequently interviewed the woman as she recovered from her violent beating, at the Joliet hospital. She "advised that the man seemed nice, and she let him into her residence. At that time, the man stated that 'Brian' owes him money and she believed he spoke of her nephew. (She) told the man that she did not know what he spoke of, and he became enraged," the complaint reveals.

"The man then grabbed her left arm and forcibly pulled her up the stairs and through all four bedrooms. He pushed and pulled her arm and sweater and ransacked her rooms. At one point, (she) broke free and ran outside. The man exited the residence approximately two minutes after her, carrying a couple of her dresser drawers," the court documents note.

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Once the attacker left, the elderly victim ran back into her house "and locked the doors," the forfeiture states. The woman had suffered a large bruise to the inside of her left upper arm, a bruise on the top of her left forearm and a bump o the left side of her forehead, court documents show.

Two days after the crime in Shorewood, the Shorewood Police Department learned "that the Joliet Police Department had multiple contacts with the subject on March 16, 2019, and to the best of his knowledge, the offender was tentatively identified as Sam Mitchell," court papers state. However, the detective from the Downers Grove Police Department informed the Shorewood Police Department, that the name being floated around wasn't right.

"Sam Mitchell was actually an alias for Angelo Ristick," the Downers Grove Detective informed a Shorewood Police officer. "Detective Minett sent Officer Malone a photograph of Angelo Ristick and his wife, Honey Ely, via email."

Turns out, the Crest Hill Police Department also had a solid lead that would help the Shorewood Police solve the crime. A gas station employee "reported she saw a male who panhandled for money, pumped gas into his truck and then drove around to the rear of the gas station where he threw items into the Dumpster," court documents explain.

The gas station had, in fact, obtained the license plate for the truck. It was registered to Honey Ely, who "is the mother of Angelo Ristick's children. After the truck left the area, the employee retrieved a check book, photo and a credit card from the pile of trash located next to the Dumpster. Also retrieved was a brown paper bag containing some pins and watches. (Shorewood) Officer Malone suspected that the watches were some of the items stolen … during the home invasion" on Caprice Drive," court papers note.

By March 21, five days after the Shorewood home invasion, the Chicago Police Department had captured Angelo Ristick. A Shorewood Police officer and a Shorewood detective traveled to Chicago and the Chicago Police detectives relayed that "once Angelo Ristick was in custody, he made a comment that Will County was looking for him because he pushed down an old lady and saw himself on television," the vehicle forfeiture explains. "It should be noted that during the transport back to the Shorewood Police Department, Ristick asked if the old lady was OK and out of the hospital."

On April 4, the elderly attack victim and her son met with Shorewood Police officers at the station and the victim was shown four watches and several holiday pins that were found at the Dumpster at the BP gas station in Crest Hill. "Upon looking at the pins and watches, (the woman) immediately stated that she recognized them and that she was the owner of all of them," the forfeiture reads.

The forfeiture complaint surrounding Ristick's 2016 Chevrolet Silverado is set for a hearing before a Will County judge on Aug. 14.