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| Andrew Horton (inset) is charged with burglarizing an apartment building in the 900 block of West Dakin. |
An observant neighbor and some conveniently-located cops teamed up to lasso a burglar near Wrigleyville and Boystown on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The 19th (Town Hall) Police District celebrated the arrest two hours later with a tweet cheering, “CPD loves nosy neighbors!”
Police said the neighbor reported seeing 47-year-old Andrew Horton use a tool to force his way into the vestibule of a building in the 900 block of West Dakin. Horton picked up some packages and left, police said.
The manager said he followed Horton and watched as he opened the packages and removed their contents in the 3900 block of North Broadway. Within moments, the manager flagged down a passing patrol car and reported what he saw.
Horton was arrested nearby. Charged with three felony counts of burglary, Horton was due in bond court today.
Court records show that Horton has a lengthy criminal history that began with an attempted murder charge in 1989. He pleaded down to aggravated battery and was sentenced to two years.
Since then, he has beefed up his criminal resume with more than 30-years of combined prison sentences: three years for narcotics in 1991; five years for burglary in 1993; six years for burglary in 1995; 18 months for narcotics in 2000; six years for burglary in 2002; four years for narcotics in 2004; two years for retail theft in 2006; and four years for retail theft in 2008.
In case you’re curious, the packages that Horton allegedly stole contained a pair of sandals and a pair of women’s slippers, according to police inventory records.
