Elderly burglar in Peru was carrying a knife

If you’ve been following the story about the 72-year-old who was caught stealing a vehicle from a Peru dealership, he was armed when a police dog took a bite out of him.

Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei says Roy Cope had a knife on him when he was arrested after a car and foot chase early Sunday morning.  Bernabei says Cope never threatened anyone with the knife.

Cope was in La Salle County Court yesterday and was given bond of $100,000 for the felony charges of burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.  He’ll be back in court August 11^th.

Bernabei says Cope has no ties to the Illinois Valley.  He ended up in the Illinois Valley after getting a bus ride from Iowa where he served time for burglary.