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Illinois Roofing Contractor Asks About Leaks After Urinating on Business’ Rug

By Chris Gray
Illinois-Roofer-Surveillance-Urination

Jim Costa was cited with disorderly conduct by the Crystal Lake Police Department after urinating on a business' rug on April 20. Photo: Andrew Sylthe/YouTube.

April 28, 2020

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A roofing contractor was caught on video urinating on a local business’ rug and asking employees if the building had “any leaks.”

According to the Northwest Herald, the bizarre occurrence took place at 12:36 p.m. on April 20. Surveillance video posted by the business shows a man in his 60s entering the building’s lobby and calling “Hello?” with no response from anyone.

The video then shows him turning his back to the camera to face the front desk before unzipping his pants and urinating. Once he finished, he again called out “Hello?” before taking a moment to admire his handiwork and use a bottle of hand sanitizer located on the desk.

A female employee emerged to greet him and he began soliciting roofing repair work. The roofer provided the employee a flyer and can be heard asking if she knew if the building “had any leaks.”

The Northwest Herald reports that, after he left, the employee noticed the wet spot on the rug and reviewed the security footage. The employee notified the police of the situation, but they were unable to pull the license plate number of the suspect's vehicle from the footage. That’s when police got creative using the flyer he left behind.

"We took the business name and the partial phone number and we started calling all the different combinations that it could be," Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski told the Northwest Herald.

According to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner, once the police reached him, they set up a fake meeting to have the man give them a roofing repair estimate. On April 23, the roofer arrived at the prearranged location driving the same vehicle from the surveillance video. Police identified the man as Jim Costa, and when asked why he did it, Kotlowski said Costa gave “no reasonable explanation” for his actions.

Police cited Costa with disorderly conduct, which is punishable by a $75 to $1,000 fine.

KEYWORDS: commercial roofing contractor crime Illinois

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Chrisgray

Chris Gray is the former editor of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He has worked in the fields of journalism and copywriting for nearly 20 years, ranging from local print newspapers to the multi-media promotion of international artists.

Reach him at 248-244-6498 or grayc@bnpmedia.com.

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