3 men indicted in New Lenox, Frankfort abduction, robbery cases

Three men were indicted Wednesday on charges of kidnapping a New Lenox man and an elderly woman in Frankfort and using their debit cards.

Indictments were returned in two separate cases against Justin A. Brown, 20, of Steger, Dontavious A. Harvey, 21, of Dolton, and Terwon L. Matthews, 21, of Chicago.

In one case, the three men are charged with abducting a man from his New Lenox home Nov. 29 and stealing his debit card and his cellphone while armed with handguns, the indictment said. The man was found unharmed in Indiana, police said.

In the other case, the men are charged with hijacking an elderly woman’s Ford Fusion on Nov. 16 in Frankfort, kidnapping her and stealing her cellphone and debit cards, according to the indictment.

Police said the men forced the woman to access her bank accounts for cash and then drove her to several stores so they could use her bank account. She later was found unharmed.

Brown, Harvey and Matthews were arrested Dec. 18 after the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Frankfort Police Department investigated the reported incidents of kidnapping and robbery.

Bond was set at $4 million each for Brown, Harvey and Matthews.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office said it received assistance from the U.S. Secret Service in the investigation of the robberies.

“With the help of crime tips, video surveillance and technology, the offenders were identified early on in the investigation,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. “The evidence collected placed the offenders at the scene of the stores in which both victims had their financial accounts violated.”