Police make burglary arrest after man sees his shoes on another's feet

A Lake Villa Township man had a lot to think about when he stopped for a meal at a Round Lake Beach restaurant Thursday.

Three days earlier, someone forced entry through a window in his house on the 38300 block of North Fairfield Road. The thief got away with the man's gun, iPad, other electronics, and some clothing and shoes.

In the restaurant, the man recognized an acquaintance named Dakota R. Koch who was wearing a pair of expensive red and white sneakers. The man, who was not identified by Lake County sheriff's police, said the shoes had unique markings and realized they were stolen from his house, the police said.

Before ordering his food, he confronted Koch and called 9-1-1. Within minutes, Koch was being driven away by police for questioning.

Police used evidence recovered at the crime scene and information collected from Koch during about an hour of questioning to figure out where the other items taken in the burglary were, Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.

The iPad, other electronics and several other items were found at Koch's residence on the 0-100 block of North High Point Road in Round Lake, and the gun, a .40-caliber firearm, was found at a residence that Koch went to after the Monday burglary, authorities said.

Koch, 23, was charged with residential burglary and theft.

"Everything came together certainly in a unique way," Covelli said.

Bail for Koch was set at $25,000 Friday, and he remains in Lake County jail. Koch's next court date is Feb. 28.