Chicago man charged with Palatine car burglary

A 57-year-old Chicago man whose lengthy criminal record includes multiple convictions for burglary, theft and possession of a controlled substance dating back to 1985 faces new charges stemming from an incident Saturday in Palatine.

Cook County Judge Jill Cerone Marisie set bail at $100,000 for Terry Seawood, who police charged with burglary after a witness saw him remove items from a car with a smashed rear window at a parking lot in the 1700 block of Rand Road, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Walsh during Seawood’s bail hearing Tuesday in Rolling Meadows.

A conviction for the class 2 felony typically carries a sentence of three to seven years in prison, with probation a possibility. However, Seawood’s prior convictions make him eligible for an extendible term of up to 14 years in prison if he is convicted, Walsh said.

His most recent burglary conviction came in 2008 and resulted in a seven-year prison sentence. A 2002 burglary conviction earned Seawood a 10-year prison sentence. He was also convicted of burglary in 1998, 1988 and 1986 for which he was sentenced to six years, three years and two years respectively. In 2001 he was sentenced to two years in prison for possession of a controlled substance. He had similar convictions in 1994 and 1997, each of which resulted in a one-year sentence. He was sentenced to probation for a possession conviction in 1996 but violated the probation and was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison, Walsh said.

Seawood also has several retail theft convictions in 1997, 1994, and 1985 for which he spent 120 days in jail, Walsh said.

He next appears in court on Feb. 10.