Home Burglary Crew Nabbed After Being Caught In The Act: Police

WILMETTE, IL — Three men face felony charges after officers encountered a suspected home burglary crew Monday in Wilmette, police said.

Shortly before 2 p.m., officers witnessed a Chevy pickup truck backed into a driveway in the 2900 block of Indianwood Road, according to police.

Wilmette detectives determined the truck was the same one believed to be involved in "numerous" residential burglaries across the north suburbs, according to Cmdr. Michael Robinson. The pickup was linked to both break-ins and ruse home burglaries — where thieves talk their way into homes under false pretenses.

When officers showed up in marked squad cars with their emergency lights flashing, the driver of the truck, later identified as Kevin Miller, 21, of the 3700 block of West Fullerton Avenue, tried to flee, according to police.

Instead, Miller drove directly into a marked squad car. Police said he was taken into custody uninjured.

Officers then discovered the nearby house had recently been burglarized. Burglars had forced open two doors and left behind two sets of footprints inside the home, which continued in the snow outside the home's back door.

Wilmette police alerted neighboring agencies for help and established a perimeter, according to police. Officers went yard-to-yard and soon found items that had been stolen from the home.

Shortly before 2:45 p.m., police found the other two suspected burglars in a back yard in the 2700 block of Orchard Lane, less than a quarter-mile east of the scene of the break-in.

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Sonny Miller, 20, of the 5400 block of West Foster Avenue, Chicago, and Vincent Ely, 18, of the 2600 block of Wicker Avenue in Highland, Indiana, were both arrested and charged with residential burglary.

All three men were taken to the Skokie Courthouse for an initial court appearance. A judge ordered each of them jailed in lieu of a $1,000 cash bond, which they each had posted as of Tuesday afternoon.