An employee of a Crestwood trucking company charged with first-degree murder in the death of the firm’s chief executive, whose body was found after a fire at the business, will remain in the Cook County Jail after being ordered held Sunday.
Crestwood police said Josif Suclea, 52, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested in Michigan after the March 5 fire at ATG Truckload, 13835 S. Kostner Ave.
He was ordered held following an initial court appearance Sunday and is due to return to court in Bridgeview on Tuesday, according to Crestwood police Chief Kevin Sisk.
Police and Crestwood firefighters responded just after 4 p.m. March 5 to ATG for a call of heavy smoke in the building.
While the small fire was quickly extinguished by fire personnel, the body of the victim, later identified as Dane Koletski, was located on the second floor amid heavy smoke, according to police.
Koletski, 46, was president and CEO of ATG, according to the company’s website.
An autopsy determined the death to be a homicide resulting from injuries to the victim’s neck caused by a sharp or pointed object.
Crestwood police and investigators from the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force sifted through leads that pointed to Suclea as a potential suspect and he was tracked to a truck stop in Holland, Michigan, police said.
He was taken into custody shortly after 5 a.m. March 6 and held overnight before being brought back to Illinois the following day, police said.
