No Jackpot For Lottery Ticket Thieves: Police

SKOKIE, IL — Police said two Chicago men were responsible for a pair of commercial burglaries at Skokie businesses.

In each case, someone smashed the front glass door to a downtown store and made off with a "considerable amount of lottery tickets" before officers arrived, according to a statement from Skokie police.

The first burglary took place around 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the Ashtar Food Market, 4720 Oakton St., police said.

The second break-in occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on Dec. 12, when officers were dispatched to a burglary alarm at Skokie Mart, 5363 Lincoln Ave.

Brian Kobrow, 43, and Raymond Rodgers, 43, who share a home in the 4300 block of North Kenneth Avenue in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood, were arrested Saturday, police announced Tuesday.

According to police, both men were seen at multiple unspecified Chicago businesses redeeming lottery tickets that had been stolen in the Skokie burglaries.

Forensic and video evidence from the scene further identified them as the burglars, according to a police spokesperson.

Kobrow and Rodgers were each charged with a single count of burglary in connection with the second of the two incidents, police said.

As of Tuesday, Kobrow remained detained at Cook County Jail in lieu of the $500 cash portion of his bail. Rodgers posted bond and was released ahead of his next court appearance.