Chicago — Prosecutors say Chicago police were able to identify the burglar who stole safes and cash from restaurants and other businesses because he didn’t cover up the heart tattoo on his face.
Video cameras from the businesses allegedly recorded Dantrell Jackson as he broke in and removed items, sometimes wearing a mask but not covering the half-inch heart that’s etched under his right eye. On Saturday, prosecutors charged him with four break-ins in River North, Pilsen, and the West Loop.
Assistant State’s Attorney Victoria Chavez said he broke into 312 Nails, 500 North State, around 6:45 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and took cash while having his mask pulled down to his chin.
On February 21, Jackson and a woman entered the Frida Room, 1454 West 18th, and unsuccessfully tried to break into the safe. After giving up on that, they allegedly stole cleaning supplies and escaped in a maroon Chevy Impala.
Then, on March 13, Jackson broke into Bar Takito, 201 North Morgan, Chavez said. He collected credit cards from a register and stole two safes from the basement. Cameras also recorded him moving his maroon Chevy Impala closer to the restaurant door so he could load it with the safes, according to Chavez.
He later used some of the stolen credit cards at a McDonald’s and a gas station, where video showed him wearing the same clothes as the Bar Takito burglar. Chavez said that the service station camera also recorded his maroon Impala and its license plate.
Finally, around 7:20 p.m. last Monday, Jackson allegedly hauled a safe out of Smyth and The Loyalist, 177 North Ada, as his face covering slid down to expose his heart tattoo.
Chicago police arrested Jackson on Thursday during a traffic stop. They found Bar Takita papers in the trunk and a McDonald’s receipt bearing one of the stolen credit cards’ numbers, Chavez said.
He’s charged with four counts of burglary and felony theft. Judge Maryam Ahmad ordered him to pay a $10,000 bail deposit to be released on electronic monitoring.
Prosecutors said he has four felony convictions: retail theft, manufacture-delivery of a controlled substance, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2016 and 2018.
