Spilt milk a clue in Lockport arrest

A man broke a Pace bus window in Lockport by tossing a bag of what may have been chocolate milk, police said.

At 8:56 p.m. Wednesday, officers were sent to the intersection of State and 11th streets for a report of a damaged Pace bus, Lockport Deputy Police Chief Ron Huff said.

Witnesses told the officers that a man in his 50s, wearing a black shirt and red pants, had thrown a plastic grocery bag containing an unknown substance at a Pace bus and broke a window, Huff said.

Officers spoke to the bus driver, who said that while he was driving in the 1000 block of South State Street, he heard a loud noise on the passenger side of the bus and saw the broken window, Huff said.

“He did not see who had broken the window but did observe a male matching the witnesses’ description walking away from the scene,” Huff said.

Huff said officers saw what appeared to be chocolate milk on the side of the bus where the damage occurred.

Officers had met with Roger T. Garrett, 54, of the 1700 block of South Hamilton Street, Lockport, earlier in the evening and knew that he matched the description of the suspect and that he carried a plastic grocery bag that contained a glass bottle of chocolate milk, Huff said.

“Officers were able to locate Garrett a short distance away from the scene, and he was placed under arrest for criminal damage to state-supported property,” Huff said.

Garrett was taken to the Will County jail and his bond was set at $1,500. He was released after posting 10% of his bond, court records show.

Garrett is scheduled to appear in court April 15.