Police say 41-year-old Joseph Terrana was wearing an official Town of Cicero jacket Thursday when he carted the beer out of the store and into a Town of Cicero van.
Terrano told officers in Stickney he was on break from his job as a part-time driver for the town.
A Cicero spokesperson says Terrana is related to president Larry Dominick by marriage and that the Cicero's inspector general is investigating his arrest.
It's at least the fifth time Terrana has been arrested. He's been convicted three times, including twice for theft.
In February 2010, Terrana was fired from another job working for the Cicero and Berwyn high school district as a janitor, after testing positive for having five illegal substances in his system, school records show.
In January 2011, the Town of Cicero hired him back as a part-time driver at $12 an hour.
The hiring came ever after Terrana had repeatedly failed to mention the extent of his criminal record on both of town job applications, records show.
As of Friday, Terrana was keeping his Town of Cicero job with no discipline, Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania indicated.
"President Dominick is not involved in the case at all. Any decision about Terrana's status will be based on the results of the IG's investigation. No action has been taken against him pending the investigation," Hanania wrote.
Terrana had allegedly been spotted on a store surveillance camera about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday stealing some beer and taking it to his car, which appeared to have Town of Cicero lettering. Terrana took off and wasn't arrested, police said.
On Thursday, Stickney officers saw what appeared to be the same Town of Cicero car in the Jewel parking lot.
About 4:50 p.m., police say they saw Terrana allegedly wheeling out $149.82 worth of Corona and Negro Modelo.
Given Terrana's criminal background, Stickney police asked the Cook County State's Attorney's office to approve felony charges but were denied, authorities said. Terrana was charged with two counts of misdemeanor retail theft.
When police asked Terrana where he lived, he gave the Cicero town president's home address, authorities said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
