Multiple Burglaries Discovered Within a Short Distance and in a Short Time Period

Police are looking into burglaries and attempted burglary in Elmhurst between Thursday, Jan. 17, and Saturday, Jan. 19, and all in the same area of town.

The 400 block of North Larch Street was a focal point of activity on Thursday, Jan. 17. Police said that while they were investigating a garage burglary on the street, they were led to a neighboring house that was broken into. And, a vehicle on the block was burglarized later that night.

Sometime between 7:45 and 10:40 p.m. Jan. 17, someone broke into a garage and shed on the 400 block of North Larch. The victim returned home and saw a man in his neighbor's back yard. The suspect ran to a dark pickup truck, entered the passenger door, and the vehicle fled the area in an unknown direction. The resident discovered he had been burglarized, then found some of his property in the neighbor's back yard. Not everything was recovered, however. Taken were four Yokohama 22-inch tires and rims.

Next door, where the neighbor's property was found, police discovered pry marks and an open door. The owner was out of town but was able to determine that a television, Apple TV box, Xbox and a Pioneer iPod docking station were removed from the home. The truck had been backed into the driveway but was gone by the time police arrived, according to the police report.

Later in the night, sometime between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Jan. 18, someone broke into an unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway of a home on the 400 block of Larch. Taken were several credit cards, a wallet, $500, a retired River Forest Police badge and police identification. The offender was able to make a fraudulent charge with the credit cards "at an unknown location," police said.

Just a few blocks away, between 2:13 and 3:50 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, someone attempted to enter a home on the 200 block of North Walnut, police said. Someone broke out an 11-inch-square window on the front door. They were not successful in entering the home, however. Damage is estimated at $30.

And, only about a block away from the Larch burglaries, police were called to the 400 block of Addison for a stolen dog house. Sometime between 9 p.m. Jan. 18 and 7 a.m. Jan. 19, a $300 dog house was taken from the side of a garage. The victim said several items also were moved around inside the garage, but nothing appeared to be missing. The victim believes the subject gained entry to the garage through an unlocked service door.