A career burglar and thief met his match this week when a sharp-eyed Chicago police sergeant saw him breaking into a Lakeview apartment building, according to prosecutors.
The cop was on patrol around 7 p.m. Tuesday when he saw a man using a tool to tamper with the building’s front door at 3236 North Clark, Assistant State’s Attorney Jocelyn Schieve.
He got out of his patrol car, saw pry marks on the door, and then looked inside to see 59-year-old Henry Chandler in the building vestibule putting packages into a garbage bag, Schieve said.
Chandler allegedly paused, looked up, made eye contact with the sergeant, dropped the bag, and started to leave the building. The sergeant detained him and found a screwdriver in his possession, according to Schieve.
The plastic bag Chandler was allegedly loading contained packages that were addressed to several building residents, she said.
Chandler has seven felony convictions dating back 24 years. Most recently, he received a 10-year sentence for burglary in 2011. He previously received prison sentences for burglary in 2007, theft in 2006 and 2005, burglary in 2002, and robbery and burglary in 1996, Schieve said. He also has seven misdemeanor convictions.
Prosecutors charged him with burglary and four counts of theft in connection with the Lakeview incident. Judge Susana Ortiz set Chandler’s bail at $5,000 and ordered him to go on a 24/7 curfew if he can post a $500 deposit bond to get out of jail.
