Markham cops charged with stealing from local business
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN rhussain@suntimes.com November 21, 2012 2:54PM
Updated: December 24, 2012 7:09AM
Two Markham police officers, including the son of the city’s mayor, stole more than $7,000 while investigating a theft at a trucking company two years ago, Cook County prosecutors said.
Darryl Starks and Andre Webb, the son of Markham Mayor David Webb Jr., pocketed the cash at a Dolton warehouse where they were told stolen televisions from the Falcon Express trucking company might be located, prosecutors said.
Starks, Webb and other officers went into the warehouse without a search warrant, prosecutors said. Starks and Webb eventually came upon a locked closet and, after Webb used a knife to pry it open, the pair took more than $3,000 each from cash that was inside a box in the closet, prosecutors said.
Soon after the owner revealed there was money missing, authorities launched an investigation in December 2010.
Webb ended up admitting he swiped some of the money, and $3,380 was found under his squad car’s driver’s side mat, prosecutors said.
And Starks confessed he had some money in his police vehicle and ponied up an envelope containing $1,175, prosecutors said. A day later, Starks said he had more money and turned over $3,000 to authorities, prosecutors said.
Starks, 38, and Webb, 41, were ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail Wednesday on theft, armed violence and official misconduct charges.
Markham police officials refused comment.
