5-Year Sentence For Wilmette Woman Who Broke Into Homes, Escaped

SKOKIE, IL — A Wilmette woman convicted of breaking into a pair of homes and violating the terms of her electronic monitoring was sentenced this month to five years in state prison followed by two years of probation.

Ashley A. Luksik, 34, formerly of the 3500 block of Lake Avenue, Wilmette, pleaded guilty on April 4 to two counts of residential burglary and one count of escape, according to court records. Prosecutors dropped an additional count of residential burglary as part of her negotiated plea deal.

Luksik's two five-year sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Her sentence for escaping the custody of the Cook County Sheriff's Office was already completed. She was given credit for already serving more than 9 months in custody, more than her 5-month sentence for the escape charge.

According to Wilmette police, Luksik burglarized the home of a former acquaintance in the 800 block of Leyden Lane on June 29, 2018. Then, on July 1, she broke into the home of someone she did not know in the 900 block of Romona Avenue who had been out of town. Both burglaries were reported between 11 a.m. and noon.

In the second case, the returning resident noticed a woman, later identified as Luksik, walking around outside his home with several pieces of his property that had been in his basement, police said. The resident told police someone had broken a basement window and forced open a door.

Witnesses reported the woman and a man fled the scene in a maroon sedan, which was pulled over nearby. Luksik admitted going inside the house, according to Wilmette police. She was released on electronic monitoring ahead of trial.

On Oct. 4, 2018, Luksik was arrested in Hobart, Indiana, where police charged her with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors subsequently indicted her on two counts of felony escape, one for each of the residential burglary cases she faced. She remained in custody until her guilty plea, according to court records.

Luksik could be out on parole as soon as the end of next year, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. She is projected to be eligible for parole on Dec. 24, 2020. After that, her sentence mandates two years of probation, which could be discharged as soon as Dec. 26, 2022.

Earlier: Wilmette Woman Charged With Burglarizing Two Homes