Police Seek Public's Help Following Home Burglaries in St. Charles, Geneva

Police are asking residents to be especially cautious following a string of home burglaries over the past week in St. Charles and Geneva.

Two of the home burglaries occurred on March 21 in St. Charles and a third burglary occurred Monday in Geneva, St. Charles Police Deputy Chief Dave Kintz said Tuesday in an e-mail.

"These (the St. Charles burglaries) occurred most likely during daytime hours and fit the pattern of other daytime burglaries that have occurred during the past several months in the southeast part of town (St. Charles)," Kintz said in a news release.

The first St. Charles burglary occurred in the 1500 block of Jobe Avenue between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on March 21. The burglar forced a kitchen window open and a offender rummaged through the house, stealing cash and a digital camera, police said. The estimated value of the loss is over $350. The offender exited through a back sliding door.

The second burglary occurred in the 1700 block of S. 4th Place in St. Charles between 7:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on March 21, according to the news release. The offender shattered a window in the back of the house to make entry and took miscellaneous jewelry and some electronic equipment, including two laptop computers. The estimated value of the loss is over $9,000. Two other doors to the house were unlocked during this burglary.

Police are reminding residents to call 911 if they notice any suspicious activity, according to the news release. A common method used by daytime burglars is to knock on a door to see if the resident is home. If somebody does answer the door, they might make up a name of someone they are looking for or try to pass themselves off a solicitor, police said. All solicitors are required to register with the police department and approved solicitors are given a photo ID card, which they must prominently display.

Anyone with information regarding the burglaries can contact the St. Charles Police Department's Investigation team at 630-377-4435. Anonymous tips may be made by calling 866-DRUGCOP (866-378-4267).