Siblings charged in St. Charles school burglary

Two St. Charles siblings were charged Thursday with the theft of a small safe from a school for children with special needs.

Casey P. Fecteau, 19, and his sister Joanna Fecteau, 17, were arrested after the stolen safe was found behind their home one block away from the school, police said.

The break-in happened early Dec. 12 at the Mades-Johnstone Center School, 1304 Ronzheimer Ave. Police said the burglars apparently entered through a broken window to steal a 24-square-inch safe containing a "small amount" of money.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said investigators found the safe when they went to question Casey Fecteau about the burglary. He said officers sought out Fecteau because he was a former student of the school, has had prior contact with the police, and lived a block away, on the 1200 block of Ronzheimer Avenue.

Police wouldn't say whether the contents of the safe were recovered, or how Joanna Fecteau was implicated in the crime. She is not a student at Mades-Johnstone, McCurtain said.

Casey Fecteau was taken into custody Wednesday, and his sister was arrested after an unrelated court appearance Thursday in St. Charles. Both teens were charged with burglary and criminal damage to state-supported property.

If convicted of the most serious charge, a Class 1 felony, the siblings could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Casey Fecteau remained in the county jail Thursday with bond set at $40,000. Joanna Fecteau's bond will be set Friday.