Man arrested in connection with stolen vehicles in Lake County

A Wakonda man has been arrested in connection with a couple of stolen vehicle reports in Madison on Tuesday.  

The Madison Police Department responded to the two reports during the day on Tuesday.  After arriving at the report of the second stolen vehicle, Madison Police Officers located the first one that was reported stolen abandoned nearby.  The second report was for a pickup and trailer.  On Tuesday evening, law enforcement received a report of a male trying to retrieve a vehicle from a tow yard in Chester.  Officers confirmed that the person, later identified as Christopher Barta of Wakonda, had arrived in Chester in the stolen pickup from the second report.  Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Madison Police Department officers responded and took Barta into custody.  Through the investigation, the missing trailer was also located in the Chester area.  Barta was charged with three counts of grand theft and two counts of criminal entry of a motor vehicle.  

July 14, 2022