Cops: Mt. Prospect man suspected in dozens of car burglaries

Justin Cookson, 26, of Mount Prospect, already charged in a handful of car burglaries in unincorporated Des Plaines earlier this month, is now suspected in dozens of others across the Northwest suburbs, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Cookson, of the 1700 block of Forest Cove Drive, was arrested by Des Plaines police before dawn Oct. 7 and charged with possession of stolen property following four nearby car burglaries. According to a release issued Monday by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cookson has since admitted to county detectives that he broke into dozens of vehicles in Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, Bloomingdale and unincorporated areas since losing his job in May.

Cookson allegedly said he would look for signs of a satellite positioning device or an iPod-like music player in unoccupied cars before breaking into them. According to the sheriff's office, Cookson "said he had taken all of the merchandise he had stolen to pawn shops."

Detectives said there have been 10 such auto break-ins in unincorporated Cook County in the last two weeks and that Cookson is under investigation for "as many as 50." Cookson is free on a $10,000 bond with a Nov. 6 court date while the sheriff's office assesses other charges.