Des Plaines Police: Men Burglarized As Many As 20 Cars

By Pam DeFiglio

Jordan Brandt, 19, Miguel Munguia, 22, and Hugo Rodriguez-Torres, 18 all of Des Plaines, were charged with five felony counts each of burglary. Rodriguez-Torres told police the three of them burglarized as many as 20 unlocked vehicles in the area of Prospect Avenue and White Street on June 19. 

Police found the men during a burglary in progress in the 1800 block of South White Street, according to the police report, when a woman woke up, saw someone in her vehicle and called police. Her coach purse, valued at $100, was taken, and its contents were later discovered on a lawn.

Police found Brandt and Rodriguez-Torres walking in the area. The victim positively identified them as the people she had seen going through her vehicle, the police report stated. Shortly afterward, they spotted Munguia out of breath on a street corner, and he told them he was heading home but lost his friends. 

Police located a stash of stolen goods hidden underneath a red Lincoln LS parked at Prospect and White.

Police later found out that a number of unlocked vehicles had been burglarized; some had their glove boxes open and items strewn about. A weed trimmer, new in its box, was taken from a Cadillac Escalade, and about $5 in change was taken from a Toyota Tercel, police said.

The police report stated that Rodriguez-Torres told police the three had been out  and they took a skateboard out of an unlocked car. They then continued trying car doors and when they were unlocked, they went in and took items, including a case of Capri Sun, some perfume bottles, change, two lawn chairs and other items, police stated.

They were scheduled to appear at the Skokie court house June 24.