Three Park Ridge teens are charged with receiving more than $10,000 worth of stolen property in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, court records show. A related criminal complaint describes the stolen property as admission wristbands for a country music festival last weekend.
According to Kenosha County criminal complaints and criminal court records, Thomas Bernatek, Amelia Miulli and Morgan Timmons, all 18, were each charged with a class G felony.
All three teens are 2023 Maine South High School graduates, said a Maine South High School District 207 spokesman in response to a Freedom of Information request.
A criminal complaint dated July 25 states that the site manager for the country music festival reported a burglary July 23, and told responding Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputies that the festival’s will call booth had been tampered with after it had closed the previous night. According to the complaint, at least $50,000 worth of wristbands providing admission to the festival were missing.
Upon checking the internet, according to the complaint, the site manager found that a male, later identified as Bernatek, had posted some wristbands for sale.
The complaint states that a detective messaged Bernatek on social media, said he wanted to purchase wristbands and arranged to meet Bernatek at the festival site. Officers detained Bernatek once they confirmed he had wristbands, the complaint stated.
A sheriff’s department investigation found, per the complaint, that Bernatek and Miulli communicated via text about the wristbands and selling them, but Miulli later denied knowledge of plans to sell the wristbands.
Class G felonies carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $25,000, or both, according to criminal complaints associated with the matter.
The country music festival, which took place July 20-23 in Randall, Wisconsin, in the Twin Lakes area, is one of a series of festivals known as Country Thunder. The festival also has showings in Florida, Arizona and Canada, according to its website.
The Wisconsin festival’s Facebook page advertised a lineup that included Keith Urban, Carly Pearce, Jason Aldean and Cody Johnson, among other acts.
Bernatek, Timmons and Miulli are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 2, per court records.
Parents of Bernatek and Miulli did not immediately respond to phone calls requesting comment from Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune. A parent of Timmons declined to comment when reached via phone.
