WAUKESHAW — A Chicago teenager who was the only person arrested the night he and several others stole nine luxury vehicles from Fields Auto Group in Waukesha last February was sentenced this week to prison.
Calvin Valentine, 18, pleaded guilty in July to theft and unauthorized driving charges, but charges of receiving stolen property and criminal damage were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. On Monday, Circuit Judge William Domina sentenced Valentine to two years in prison and two years of extended probation, credited for 217 days he had already served on the theft charge, online court records show.
As for the motor vehicle charges, Judge Domina sentenced Valentine to two years in prison and two years of probation, suspended for three years. Conditions of his sentence include that Valentine have no contact with Fields Automotive Group or his co-stars, abstain from alcohol and attend work or school full time, online court records show.
A message left with his attorney, Anna Keith, was not immediately returned.
Valentine was one of the suspects who stole nine vehicles from the Fields Auto Group Jaguar/Land Rover/Volvo dealership, 1901 E. Moreland Boulevard, on Feb. 18. According to the criminal complaint, police were called to the scene around 9:10 a.m. Sunday on reports of multiple stolen vehicles. When Waukesha police officers arrived on the scene, they found broken glass scattered in the parking lot, a garage door about a quarter open, another garage door that appeared to have been driven through by a vehicle, and a minivan parked there, the complaint alleges.
According to the complaint, officers and the dealership’s general manager reviewed security camera footage, which showed a silver Chrysler minivan pulling up to the east side of the building just before 6 a.m. Sunday. Nine individuals wearing masks and gloves allegedly exited the vehicle, pushed open the garage door and entered the dealership’s showroom and mechanic area. One of the suspects pried open the key lock box and took keys from inside. From there, the suspects discovered the vehicle associated with the keys, the complaint states.
Once on the repair shop’s premises, the perpetrators allegedly stole a white 2022 Land Rover Velar through the garage door. In total, nine vehicles were stolen from Fields Auto Group, with a combined value of $583,339, according to the complaint.
Valentine was arrested after a police pursuit in West Allis, where he was involved in a crash involving a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Westminster. According to a police report, the vehicle was valued at $73,998. In his criminal complaint, Valentine claimed he was “playing kid’s games” and had never stolen a car prior to the incident. He also stated, “I’m not gonna lie, I stole a car,” and admitted to entering the garage, but denied that he was the one who pried open the door or drove the car through the glass ceiling door. Valentine also claims to have stolen only one key from a rack inside the building.
Within days, all but one of the vehicles had been recovered. A dealer representative told The Freeman in March that the car Valentine had been driving was likely a total loss, but the other five had been returned intact, and three more were reported to be in good condition.