Prison guard faces multiple theft charges | Crime

Smoke from burning plastic led police to bust a Dixon Correctional Center guard for theft.

A deputy on patrol reportedly saw black smoke as he drove by the Sterling, Illinois home of Troy Morgan, 31, as Morgan was burning plastic off of copper wire on January 24, 2013.

The deputy determined the wire was stolen a week earlier from a rock quarry in Emerson, Illinois.

When they searched Morgan’s home, investigators found wiring, chains, tools and other items believed to have been taken in recent burglaries.   Representatives from area trucking companies were able to identify some of the items as stolen.

Morgan was charged with six counts of felony theft and two counts of misdemeanor theft.

Morgan’s Facebook page said he has worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections since October 2003.  He also owns Cell Block Kennels where he breeds pit bulls in Sterling, Illinois.

Online records show Morgan was released from the Whiteside County Jail on his own recognizance in lieu of $25,000 bond.  He was next scheduled to appear in court in February.