Prosecutors: St. Charles Man With Criminal History Sentenced Again

A St. Charles man with a lengthy criminal past will go to prison for burglarizing a neighboring apartment in 2010.

Wayne M. Van De Carr, 31, most recently of the 1300 block of West Main Street, St. Charles, was sentenced Nov. 16 by Circuit Judge M. Karen Simpson to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

On Aug. 25, Van De Carr pleaded guilty to one count of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. Simpson accepted the plea.

On May 14, 2010, Van De Carr unlawfully entered, through a patio door, an apartment in 1300 block of west Main Street, according to authorities. He stole jewelry, a video game system, camera equipment, cash and miscellaneous other items.

Van De Carr sold many of the items to an Oak Park pawn shop, according to authorities. Elmwood police officers, who were familiar with Van De Carr because of his criminal past, discovered the items that had been sold to the pawn shop.

The Elmwood officers, knowing that Van De Carr had recently moved to St. Charles, forwarded information about Van De Carr and the stolen property to the , according to authorities. St. Charles police then determined that the items from the Oak Park pawn shop were the items that had been stolen from the St. Charles apartment.   

Because of his extensive criminal past, Van De Carr was subject to harsher sentencing guidelines, prosecutors said. Among Van De Carr’s prior convictions:

• Attempted robbery, 2000, Cook County
• Possession of a controlled substance, 2001, Cook County
• Theft, 2004, Cook County
• Possession of a stolen motor vehicle, 2005, Cook County
• Possession of a stolen motor vehicle, 2007, Cook County
• Theft, 2008, Cook County

Based on Illinois law, Van De Carr is eligible for day-for-day sentencing. He was given credit for at least 535 days served in the Kane County jail, where he had been held since his arrest in lieu of $150,000 bail. Bond was revoked upon conviction.

The case was prosecuted by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Schwertley.

Edited from a media release provided by the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.