Billy Kidd Stephens

Three suspects are facing felony burglary charges in connection with an April incident in Columbia.

Charged with two counts of burglary are Billy Kidd Stephens, 23, of Waterloo, and Karin L. Whelan, 28, and Jon P. Linnertz, 39, both of Red Bud.

Court information states that sometime between April 1 and 12, the three entered a detached shed in the 700 block of North Main Street in Columbia and stole lawn equipment and other items, including a small tractor, with a total value exceeding $10,000. All three were taken into custody this week on the charges with bond set at $50,000 and a June 2 preliminary hearing date set at the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo.

Jon Linnertz

Columbia police worked with the Red Bud Police Department on this case and obtained helpful information in late April that led to the arrests.

Whelan was arrested by Red Bud police on April 29 for the theft of lawn equipment she was trying to re-sell, according to the North County News.

Linnertz has an extensive criminal record in both Monroe and Randolph counties, including drug and theft charges. Last July, he was arrested by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department on a parole violation and transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Stephens was previously convicted of burglary and other related offenses in Monroe County.

Karin Whelan

“It was a collaborative effort between the two departments to solve this,” Acting Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said.

Some of the stolen property involved in this case has yet to be recovered, Paul added.