A person with a historical past of smashing his approach into Chicago properties is again in custody after prosecutors linked him to a West City housebreaking spree, and police allegedly caught him driving a stolen scooter with a loaded gun and heroin in his bag.
Anthony Wickliffe, 31, has previous convictions for theft and a number of residential burglaries, all involving the identical signature transfer: breaking by way of rear glass doorways or home windows to steal jewellery, electronics, and different valuables. In 2017, he was convicted of 5 separate burglaries. In 2019 and 2020, he was convicted once more for related offenses.
Now, prosecutors say Wickliffe returned to the identical techniques in July, committing a string of burglaries between July 8 and July 16. The spree, based on a detention submitting, concerned disabling safety cameras, shattering glass doorways, and concentrating on high-value objects, together with a $7,000 coin assortment, customized jewellery, laptops, an electrical bike, and a Segway Ninebot scooter.
It started on July 8 round 2:40 p.m. within the 1600 block of West Erie, the place a home-owner noticed Wickliffe on surveillance footage leaping a yard fence. Wickliffe allegedly grabbed a brush to smash the digicam earlier than the proprietor arrived to seek out the glass rear door damaged. Nothing was lacking.
Lower than half-hour later, within the 2100 block of West Erie, prosecutors say Wickliffe struck a house whereas the house owners had been out of city. A neighbor noticed their shattered rear door and referred to as police. Lacking had been watches, jewellery, bank cards, a pc monitor, and the coin assortment. Video allegedly confirmed Wickliffe attempting to make use of one of many stolen bank cards the subsequent day.
Minutes later, nonetheless on the identical block, he allegedly tried to interrupt into one other house however fled when the resident yelled at him.
On July 14, prosecutors say he broke the glass door of a storage within the 1300 block of West Ohio, rummaged by way of a car, and stole an electrical bike with an AirTag hooked up. That AirTag would later lead police to focus their seek for the burglar within the 1200 block of South St. Louis.
The subsequent day, within the 1400 block of West Superior, he allegedly pried open a storage and took a Segway Ninebot scooter. On July 16, within the 1300 block of West Grand, prosecutors say he smashed a glass door and stole a MacBook, diamond ring, and customized jewellery earlier than leaving on the stolen scooter.
Police finally stopped Wickliffe as he rode the stolen scooter within the 1200 block of South St. Louis, prosecutors mentioned. Inside his cross-body bag, the cops allegedly discovered a loaded handgun and 11 baggies of suspected heroin.
Prosecutors say he instructed officers, “he knew what [they] had been right here for and he isn’t silly.” He additionally denied involvement within the burglaries, claiming he didn’t know the scooter was stolen and that he not commits break-ins and doesn’t promote stolen jewellery.
Choose John Hock ordered Wickliffe detained pending trial on 4 counts of housebreaking, armed violence, being a felon in possession of a weapon, possession of a managed substance, and felony injury to property.
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