Bloomington man jailed on 14 charges after police say he stole credit cards and firearm

Jamaude O. Tutwiler, 27, appeared in court Friday before Judge J. Brian Goldrick. At his initial appearance, the prosecution filed a request for detention on the grounds of dangerousness.

Tutwiler is charged with:

• armed habitual felon, a Class X felony;
• unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony;
• unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon, a Class 2 felony;
• five counts of burglary, three of which are class 2 felonies and two are class 3 felonies;
• unlawful possession of a firearm without valid firearm owner identification, a Class 3 felony;
• two counts of unlawful possession of another’s credit card, Class 4 felonies;
• three counts of misuse of credit card for more than $300, Class 4 felonies.

Prosecutors said Tutwiler is accused of stealing unlocked vehicles and stealing various items on multiple occasions starting in June and again in September.

On June 15, between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., a suspect took three credit, debit or gift cards from an unlocked car in Bloomington’s Old Farm Lakes subdivision, Assistant District Attorney David Fitt said as he read the probable cause statement .

The man whose items were taken shared security footage with Bloomington police that showed an individual pulling on car handles near and at his home around 3:47 a.m.

He traced the stolen cards and discovered his credit cards were used at various Bloomington stores as well as online, Fitt said.

After comparing images from two Bloomington businesses, officers determined the same suspect was involved. They also learned that the defendant’s email address and phone number were used during online purchases, Fitt said.

When questioned by police, Tutwiler denied using the stolen credit and debit cards, saying he got them from someone else.

Then, around 5:45 a.m. on September 16, another person reported to police that a suspect entered the garage and stole a loaded 9 mm handgun, a 12 mm pistol magazine and a 17-gauge pistol magazine. mm from their unlocked car.

Police executed a search warrant and searched through Tutwiler’s cell phone, which contained images of the stolen firearm and ammunition and Internet searches for the time period between using a stolen credit card and notifying the victim, Fitt said.

Bloomington officers arrested Tutwiler after obtaining evidence from his phone.

Fitt said the defendant told police on Oct. 31 that he committed the burglaries, including taking the firearm, but “didn’t want to do it.”

He told officers he was intoxicated, the prosecutor said.

Tutwiler also told police the firearm was “on the streets” because he sold it before he was taken into custody, Fitt said.

In explaining his decision to detain Tutwiler, Goldrick said, “It’s one thing to steal a gun, (but) it’s another thing to go and leave that in the hands of the community. It is very problematic”.

In arguing for his detention, Fitt said Tutwiler has an extensive criminal record dating back about 12 years and including convictions for robbery, burglary and battery. Tutwiler is currently on probation in two separate cases.

Assistant Public Defender Wendy Maulson said her client denied “much of what was presented in the probable cause” and argued that because these crimes are not violent, Tutwiler should not be held on the basis of dangerousness.

Ultimately, Goldrick agreed to the charge and granted the state’s petition for remand. The judge acknowledged that these crimes were not violent, but noted that Tutwiler had been convicted of violent crimes.

Tutwiler’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 15.