4-year sentence for high-end St. Charles burglar

A 57-year-old man accused of a rash of high-end burglaries in St. Charles and Geneva in spring 2010 pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to four years in prison.

As part of the guilty plea, Gregory A. Behrendt, of the 1200 block of Winners Cup Circle in St. Charles, must pay $26,732.83 in restitution to five St. Charles homeowners by March 2016.

Behrendt was initially charged with 13 counts of burglary after his arrest in April 2010, but while free on bond awaiting trial was arrested in June on more burglary charges.

These charges were all dropped except for one burglary that Behrendt pleaded guilty to before Judge Allen Anderson.

Behrendt admitted to a burglary in the 1200 block of Keim Trail in late March 2010, but St. Charles police have said Behrendt burglarized at least four more homes.

According to authorities, Behrendt would knock on doors late at night to see if anyone was home. If not, he’d return and force his way inside.

Crystal stemware, engraved serving utensils, silver-plated ladles and collectible porcelain figures were among the items found in his home during a police search, according to court documents.

As the time of his arrest last year, Behrendt’s attorney at the time said his client, an unemployed engineer with no criminal history, was going through a “very difficult financial time.”

Gary Johnson, the defense attorney who handled Behrendt’s plea Wednesday, declined to comment on what his client’s motives may have been.

Behrendt will get credit for 279 days served in the Kane County jail and his four-year term is eligible to be cut in half for good behavior.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cox prosecuted the case.