A Chicago resident has been charged with two counts of burglary in connection with a string of break-ins at apartment building laundry rooms in southeast Evanston.
Evanston police say officers who conducted a traffic stop early Saturday morning near Howard Street and Asbury Avenue recognized a passenger in the car as fitting the description of a suspect seen on a laundry room surveillance tape at the scene of one of the crimes.
Police say the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Jose Clark of 2045 W. Howard St. in Chicago, was initially arrested at the site of the traffic stop for possession of alleged drug paraphernalia.
After questionning by detectives, they concluded he was responsible for burglaries in the 200 block of Elmwood Avenue on Dec. 4 and the 200 block of Custer Avenue on Dec. 12, and the state’s attorney’s office approved charges on those incidents.
Both involved unauthorized entry into a laundry room and the theft or attempted theft of coins from laundry machines.
Commander James Elliot says detectives believe Clark is responsible for six other similar burglaries in southeast Evanston.
He said the arrest highlights the combined efforts of residents, including the burglary victim who provided the surveillance video, and officers who, thanks to a special bulletin that contained still images from the video, were able to identify the suspect.
Still frame images from video included in special bulletin on the laundry-room burglaries.