Prosecutors say a Chicago man stole nearly $8,000 worth of Newport cigarettes by repeatedly turning North Side Walgreens stores into smash-and-grab tobacco stops, vaulting counters and emptying secured display cases after clerks unlocked them.
The alleged cigarette spree fits neatly into Dontrell Willis’s long-running relationship with tobacco. Court records show the 31-year-old has more than 40 cases filed against him in Cook County since 2011, many of them including ordinance violations for allegedly selling cigarettes on CTA property.
Willis, who also uses the names Dontrell Williams and Dawayne Jones, is now accused of eight raids on Walgreens locations since July, with most of them occurring in recent weeks…