A Chicago man is charged with burglarizing a Lincoln Square apartment building four times over the summer.
Prosecutors charged Sean Ahern, 28, with four felony counts of burglary after his dog walker recognized him and his pooch in surveillance footage that aired during a TV news report about the break-ins.
Ahern pried open a lock to enter the building and then stole bikes and packages, prosecutors said. He allegedly used a postal master key to access the contents of residents’ mailboxes, too. Investigators don’t know where he got the key.
The first burglary was reported on July 9, less than two weeks after Ahern was paroled from prison on a narcotics case. More break-ins followed on July 14, July 23, and July 27, according to CPD records.
The building’s manager provided surveillance video of the burglar to a TV station, which aired the footage during a recent report. A woman who said she occasionally walks Ahern’s dog recognized him and his dog on TV, prosecutors said during a bond court hearing.
Ahern also has a distinctive tattoo on his arm that matches one seen on the burglar’s arm, according to prosecutors.
Judge John Lyke ordered Ahern held without bail while officials consider revocation of his parole. Should the state decide not to send him back to prison, Ahern will need to post a $1,500 deposit bond and go onto electronic monitoring if he wants to get out of jail.
