COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Clarence McClellan and Cornelius Upshaw were offering a good deal on parking Saturday night in a church lot near the Aragon Ballroom, authorities said.
The only problem: They didn't own the lot or work for the church.
McClellan, 56, of the 4600 block of North Clifton Avenue, and Upshaw, 54, of the 1200 block of West Carmen Avenue, were charged with theft and criminal trespassing to property after they took over a church parking lot and sold parking spots for $20 a pop, police said.
Officers were alerted to the duo, and they said saw them sell a spot at St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, 4827 N. Kenmore Ave. When the two noticed the officers approaching, they tried to flee south on Kenmore Avenue, according to police reports.
Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas let out a laugh when she heard about the two's alleged Saturday night hustle, but she wasn't joking when she set bail at $50,000 for McClellan and $10,000 for Upshaw.
