Man burglarized Lincoln Park home while family slept: prosecutors

CHICAGO — Prosecutors say a Chicago man burglarized a Lincoln Park family’s home while they slept, then got arrested three hours later for driving the family’s car while intoxicated.

Don Owens, 33, was ordered to pay a $10,000 bail deposit to be released from jail by Judge Charles Beach during a bail hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Surveillance video from the family’s home in the 800 block of West Webster showed a burglar climbing over their back fence early on April 8 and entering the house by removing a sliding glass door from its track, prosecutor Sarah Dale-Schmidt told the judge.

She said the home burglar alarm activated as the family slept, but the homeowner ignored it because he thought it was malfunctioning. (Editor’s note: After the publication of this story, the homeowner contacted CWBChicago and stated that the burglary did not trigger an alarm.)

The burglar took a fanny pack and car keys from the home, then entered the family’s garage and drove away with their SUV.

Don Owens is accused of burglarizing a home in the 800 block of West Webster. | Chicago Police Department; Google

Three hours later, cops in suburban Wheeling pulled the SUV over for a DUI investigation and arrested Owens, Dale-Schmidt said. Officers impounded the car and found the stolen fanny pack containing the homeowner’s credit cards and passport inside.

The victim reported the car stolen about seven hours after the break-in upon discovering it missing.

Dale-Schmidt said Owens admitted to the crime.

He is charged with residential burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The DUI case is still pending, Dale-Schmidt said.