Chicago man charged with Elgin burglary

A Chicago parolee charged with stealing jewelry from an Elgin woman was ordered held on $100,000 bail Friday.

Kenny Miller, 27, who has prior convictions for theft and residential burglary, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the non-probationable, class 1 felony.

Members of the Illinois State Police ruse burglary unit, who authorities say are acquainted with Miller, arrested him Wednesday afternoon near the Des Plaines toll booth on I-90, after following him from the Elgin woman's home, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney David Shin.

His arrest resulted from an investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Downers Grove and Elgin police departments, Shin said.

As part of a separate investigation, Downers Grove officers obtained a search warrant to track, via GPS, a vehicle used in a Downers Grove burglary, Shin said.

About 2:44 p.m. Wednesday, they observed the vehicle - along with Miller, an unnamed male juvenile and another man - at the Elgin woman's home. When the car drove off, Illinois State Police followed, Shin said.

After Miller and the others left, other officers spoke with the homeowner who told them a man - wearing a baseball cap and large sunglasses - knocked on her door and asked her to step outside and talk with him about a car she had for sale, Shin said. Unable to agree on a price, she asked him to leave, Shin said. Detectives then asked the woman to check her jewelry to see if any was missing. She reported "many items" were missing, Shin said.

Those detectives forwarded descriptions of the jewelry to the state police officers following the vehicle in which Miller was riding. They stopped the car and recovered a baseball cap, large sunglasses, a black change purse and jewelry, including a woman's gold bracelet, Shin said. They emailed photographs of the items back to officers at the Elgin woman's home, where she identified them as hers, Shin said.

Miller's criminal background includes a residential burglary conviction in 2013 for which he was sentenced to four years in prion. He received two years probation for theft in 2007. He received 12 months supervision for a misdemeanor criminal trespass to a residence in 2011, and 18 months supervision for misdemeanor theft in 2007, Shin said.

He next appears in court on July 9.