As one burglar goes to prison, two more are arrested on the North Side

A three-time convicted burglar is now a four-time convicted burglar as he heads back to prison. Meanwhile, the courts will remain busy as two new burglary arrests have been made in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. Here’s an update:

Michael Shields | CPD

• Prosecutors and police say 29-year-old Michael Shields broke into a Lincoln Park home and stole a wide range of valuables, including items that had been locked in a safe. Police responded to a burglary in progress in the 2400 block of North Janssen around 9:30 a.m. on September 20th. Shields was in a car nearby.

Police said they initially found a passport in Shields’ car that belonged to a man who lived in the house on Janssen. Then they opened the Brooks Brothers handbag that was in the car. Inside were “high-end watches,” jewelry, cell phones, coins, personal documents, and savings bonds belonging to the passport holder. Also in the car were a Macbook and foreign currencies that belonged to another person who lives in the passport holder’s home.

The victim told police that their in-home safe had to be pried open to access many of the stolen property.

Shields is charged with felony burglary and theft of lost or mislaid property. Judge Stephanie Miller, a champion of affordable bail in Cook County, released him on a recognizance bond.

Marvin Delgado | CPD

• Police who responded to a call of glass breaking in the 3600 block of North Fremont in Wrigleyville early last Monday arrived just in time to see 24-year-old bar back Marvin Delgado climbing through the basement window of a home, according to court records.

Officers spoke with a 28-year-old woman who lives in the home and she gave them access to the basement where police immediately spotted Delgado again…he was rounding up a bike to steal and had the victim’s tire pump in his backpack, police said.

Prosecutors charged him with felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Judge Mary Marubio set bail at $1,000.

Timothy Smith pleaded guilty to burglarizing cars in the Boystown area. | File; CPD

• Timothy Smith, 52, just earned his fourth felony burglary conviction as he pleaded guilty to breaking into cars near Boystown around 1 a.m. on April 8th. It’ll be the second time he goes to prison for stealing JVC-brand audio equipment from vehicles.

Judge Domenica Stephenson sentenced Smith to five years with 180 days credit for time served. A charge of possessing burglary tools was dropped in the plea deal.

Police in April said they stopped Smith in the 3500 block of North Pine Grove after receiving a call of a man breaking into cars. When cops asked Smith to approach their patrol car, he threw a screwdriver on the ground and then walked over, according to police.

“I just left my girl’s place,” Smith allegedly said.

During a protective pat-down, an officer allegedly found the faceplate of a JVC car stereo in Smith’s back pocket. Smith said he didn’t know anything about it.

Before long, cops found a car with its window broken out and its stereo missing. They also found the JVC stereo itself and another screwdriver lying on the ground about 20 feet from where they first saw Smith standing, they said.

At the time of his arrest, Smith was on supervised release after completing parole in October for a crime that bears an uncanny resemblance to what he’s accused of doing in Lakeview:

In October 2014, cops patrolling the Grand Boulevard neighborhood stopped Smith after seeing him lurking near cars in an alley with a bag in his hand. Inside the bag was (Here it comes!) a JVC car stereo along with a Magellan GPS system, some cement rocks, and specks of broken glass. He was on parole at the time and received a new four-year sentence for burglary.

Smiths previous burglary convictions were in 2011 (earning a six-year sentence) and 2007 (a seven-year term).

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About CWBChicago 4272 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com