Chicago couple charged with South Barrington theft

A Chicago woman working for a house cleaning service has been charged along with a male co-defendant with stealing items from the owner of a South Barrington home she had been hired to clean.

A Cook County judge set bail at $30,000 for Anita Adwent, 27, and $50,000 for Rafael Mielczarek, 30, both of the 2700 block of North Sayre Avenue in Chicago, court records show.

Adwent was employed by Neat Cleaning in September when she met with the homeowner who showed her what he wanted cleaned after which he went into the basement, Assistant State’s Attorney Lesley Gool said.

When the homeowner came upstairs later, he discovered nothing had been done and that his bank debit card, notebook computer, iPad and some foreign currency were missing, Gool said.

The value of the missing items totaled about $3,100, Gool said, adding that the notebook computer was recovered at a Chicago pawnshop.

Adwent and Mielczarek, who authorities say waited outside in a car while Adwent was in the home, then went on a spending spree to Walgreens, Walmart, Meijer, Target and Kmart stores, where they were captured on video surveillance, Gool said.

Both defendants have been charged with theft, a class-three felony punishable by two to five years in prison.

At the time of her arrest, Adwent was on probation for misdemeanor retail theft. Mielczarek, who was on probation for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, was also charged with possession of a blank prescription pad.

They next appear in court on Nov. 28.