Chicago Woman Accused Of Smashing Patio Door With Landscaping Brick

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — Janae Banks, 26, of Chicago was charged with felony property damage after a months-long investigation into a smashed patio door at a “luxury town home,” Palos Heights police said. Banks was on pretrial release for the strong arm robbery of an elderly veteran in front of the Palos Heights Jewel.

On April 23, officers responded to a call of property damage in the 0-10 block of Margot Lane. A resident told police that someone had apparently smashed her glass patio door with a landscaping during the overnight hours in an attempt to enter the town home. The resident stated that the tenants in the townhome had been evicted the day before. Police said it's not clear if Banks was one of the tenants.

Palos Heights police were able to recover video that captured a vehicle leaving the subdivision prior to and after the window smashing. Police said earlier in the day officers had contact with Banks at the town home and were able to obtain her cell phone records that placed her near the scene when the incident occurred.

Banks was on electronic home monitoring when she was arrested Aug. 1 at the Bridgeview Courthouse during a pretrial hearing on a separate case, in which Banks was accused of robbing and battering a 77-year-old veteran on May 26. The veteran was selling poppies in front of the Jewel-Osco at 128th Street and Harlem Avenue when he witnessed Banks shoplifting from the store, police said. He took a picture of her license plate when Banks allegedly shoved the veteran to the ground and stole his phone.

After Banks was identified as the suspect in the April incident, Palos Heights investigators obtained search warrants for Banks’ phone records, which police said returned text conversations Banks had admitted to damaging the town home’s door.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved charges for felony property damage.