Trio charged after Palatine homeowner discovered burglary in progress

Editor's note: The charges against Brittany Barrett were dismissed.

Two teenagers and a 22-year-old parolee were charged with residential burglary Sunday after the homeowner returned while the crime was in progress, authorities said.

Prosecutors say Eric Mota, 22; his brother Jack Mota, 19; Brittany Barrett, 19; and another unidentified person drove to the 100 block of Aldridge Avenue in Palatine about 10 a.m. Sunday. Barrett knocked on doors until she encountered an unoccupied home, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Alyssa Grissom.

While Barrett served as a lookout, Grissom said, Eric Mota used a rock to smash a window. She said Jack Mota held a curtain and also served as lookout while Eric Mota entered the home.

The homeowner returned about that time, Grissom said, prompting Barrett to honk the horn and drive away with Jack Mota and the fourth person in the car. Eric Mota ran from the home with a zipped bag, Grissom said. Police found the defendants soon after.

Jack Mota, of Chicago, and Barrett were held on $40,000 bail and electronic monitoring. Eric Mota, also from Chicago, who was on parole for a 2014 residential burglary conviction, was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

They all return to court on Jan. 4.