Brazen Burglars Crash Stolen Vehicle, Flee on Foot: Police

A man was arrested over the weekend in DuPage County while burglarizing a home hours after cops attempted to pull him and his girlfriend over in a stolen vehicle, police said Monday.

The arrests came after detectives were in the area of Four Lake in unincorporated Lisle on Jan. 16 when they noticed a vehicle that was reported stolen a couple days earlier. They attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver crashed the vehicle and then fled on foot, according to the news release.

Just 12 hours later, deputies said they located Stafford burglarizing a home in the area of River Road near Lisle, according to the news release. They took Stafford into custody and arrested Kopacz later that evening.

Stafford is charged with aggravated fleeing/eluding, a class 1 felony; possession of a stolen vehicle, a class 2 felony; residential burglary, a class 2 felony; and possession of a stolen license plate, a class 4 felony. Kopacz has been charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle and resisting a police officer.

Both are being held at the DuPage County Jail. Stafford’s bond has been set at $230,000 and Kopacz’s bond has been set at $20,000.