The same people who destroyed an air conditioner at the Robbins public library while stripping it for parts late last week are suspected of similar thefts from at least three other nearby buildings, the village's police chief said today.



Commercial air conditioners at a church and a gym in Robbins and a preschool in Blue Island also have been stripped, said Johnny Holmes, Robbins' police chief.

The suspects are "individuals that know exactly what they're doing," Holmes said.

No arrests have been made, he said.



A gym at the Mary P. Moody Christian Academy appears to be the first building that was hit, Holmes said.

Police suspect the library was targeted next, followed by Horace Mann School in Blue Island and St. Peter Claver Church, Holmes said.



All four buildings are within about a mile of each other.

Employees at the William Leonard Public Library have been trying to keep the building cool with fans for the last week, but they were forced to close the building this afternoon because it was too muggy inside, said Priscilla Coatney, the library's director.



"It's too hot," Coatney said. "The staff is miserable. This is horrible."

The library is offering a $600 reward for information about the theft, Coatney said.

Several people have dropped off extra fans, and others have donated money toward a new air conditoner, she said.



Despite the gifts, she's still not sure how the cash-strapped library will replace the damaged air conditioner, which cost about $9,300 when it was bought about four years ago.

Still, Coatney said it's only a matter of time before the thieves are caught.



"Someone saw them," she said. "You can't just keep doing this and not be seen."



rhaggerty@tribune.com

Twitter @RyanTHaggerty

