CHICAGO — A long-time burglar who went to prison for stealing Newport cigarettes from a North Side liquor store and is currently on probation for stealing Newports from a West Loop store is now accused of burglarizing a Wicker Park sports gear store.
Chicago police responding to a burglar alarm at Lids, 1543 North Damen, found the front door broken and merchandise missing shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to a CPD report.
A CPD surveillance camera operator reviewed footage that showed a man using a crowbar to break the store’s glass door. The report said he went inside and exited three minutes later with a plastic bag full of stuff.
The camera unit kept an eye on the burglar until he arrived at the Damen Blue Line platform, according to the report. Based on a description provided by the surveillance officers, cops went to the platform and arrested the only person there: 54-year-old Michael Coleman. Police say he matched the description of the burglar.
Officers also found a black plastic bag from the stairs leading up to the platform, the report said. It contained 52 hats worth $2,274, eight sports jerseys worth $436, and a locked cash register containing an unknown amount of cash, police claimed.
Prosecutors charged him with one count of burglary.
Coleman will remain in jail until at least December 12. That’s the day he’ll see the judge who gave him probation on July 30, Judge Arthur Willis.
That case stems from a July 2023 burglary at Walgreens, 1051 West Randolph. A security company saw a burglar break the front window and crawl inside around 1 a.m., a CPD report said. The prowler went behind the counter, took 16 packs of Newports, and escaped through the back door.
Officers spotted Coleman walking in the traffic lanes near Madison and Sangamon. They allegedly found 15 packs of Newports, a surgical mask, and a baseball cap inside his backpack. They discovered a 16th pack of Newports in his pocket.
In October 2014, cops arrested Coleman at the Irving Park Brown Line station shortly after he tossed a brick through the glass of a nearby liquor store. He entered the shop and took $1,089 in cash and 19 packs of Newports, prosecutors said at the time.
He pleaded guilty less than 30 days later and received an eight-year sentence—a stiff penalty he received due to his criminal background. That background included a six-year sentence for burglary in 2009 and eight years for multiple burglaries in 2005, according to court records.
If Judge Willis allows Coleman to go home, he will be required to observe a nighttime curfew in the new case.
