Six Chicago Men Charged With South Suburban 'Ruse' Burglaries
ORLAND PARK, Ill. (STMW) -- Six Chicago men have been charged with committing two home burglaries using a ruse in the south suburbs.
The first burglary happened about 3 p.m. Oct. 28, when a man approached a homeowner in his backyard in the 8900 block of Briarwood Lane in Orland Park and told him he was "from the county," according to a statement from Orland Park police.
The suspect asked the homeowner to follow him to the back of the property, police said. A few minutes later, the homeowner's wife yelled to him that there were two strange men in the house, and the suspect fled.
The woman told police she had been sleeping in an upstairs bedroom when she was awakened by someone saying "Hello" many times. She got up and saw a man leaving the master bedroom, and yelled at him to get out of the house. The man and another who had been in the house fled in a gray van, police said.
The homeowners checked and did not find anything missing, police said.
A few weeks later, about 4:20 p.m. Nov. 13, a man approached a homeowner in the 11600 block of 123rd Place in Palos Park and told her he was going to be working for her neighbor in the backyard, and wanted to check the property line, police said.
The man said he would get some property line markers from his truck and never returned, police said. The woman walked back into the house and found her front door and jewelry boxes open, and she called police.
The Illinois State Police Ruse Burglary Task Force along with the Orland Park police and Palos Park police arrested six individuals later that day. One of the six, Stanley Miller, was identified in a line-up as the suspect in the Orland Park burglary.
All six men are charged with conspiracy to commit residential burglary: Miller, 32, of the 3100 block of California Avenue, who also faces a residential burglary charge; Alan Ely, 25, of the 3900 block of Diversey Avenue; Steven Miller, 47, of the 2500 block of North Marmora Avenue; Tony White, 38, of the 3200 block of North Lawndale Avenue; Peter Ely, 44, of the 3900 block of Diversey Ave; and Sonny Ziko, 37, of the 2700 block of North Western Avenue.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
