A Valparaiso man broke into Wrigley Field, stole a jersey from the gift store, and then left his roommate’s name and phone number etched on a wall inside the stadium late last month, prosecutors said. Police caught up with him over the weekend, and prosecutors charged him with felony burglary.
Daniel Smith, age 49, allegedly scaled a fence at Wrigley around 2:40 a.m. on July 29 after a security guard refused to let him in. Prosecutors say he made his way to a merchandise store, stole a $299 jersey, and then used a Sharpie marker to leave a message for the team:
“To whom it may concern, your security in this building is laughable. Call me, and I will tell you where your weaknesses are.”
He allegedly signed the message with his roommate’s name and contact information.
As you might have guessed, police called the phone number and later met with the roommate, who said Smith was probably the culprit, according to the state’s allegations. The roommate identified Smith in a surveillance photo that cops secured from the stadium.
In another stroke of criminal genius, Smith was arrested Saturday after he asked a police officer to give him a ride. The cop ran Smith’s name through a database and found that he was wanted in connection with the Wrigley Field caper.
Police said Smith admitted to scaling the fence and said, “it was a dream come true.” He also again advised the Cubs to “beef up their security.” He allegedly told cops that he left his roommate’s information to get revenge on the man.
Judge David Navarro set bail for Smith at $10,000 and ordered him to stay away from the stadium.
“You can’t go back to the Friendly Confines, Mr. Smith,” Navarro warned.
The judge also ordered Smith held without bail for violating the terms of his bail in a pending disorderly conduct case.
