Hanover Park man guilty of stealing cremation urn, other items

A 47-year-old Hanover Park man who stole several items from a Hanover Park family, including an urn containing the ashes of a deceased relative, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Rolling Meadows.

In exchange for Charles Yagac's guilty plea to the class 1 felony of residential burglary and to a violation of probation, Cook County Judge Kay Hanlon sentenced Yagac to 4½ years in prison.

A laptop, gold jewelry, an engagement ring, a brass urn containing the ashes of the homeowner's husband and money from a ceramic piggy bank were among the items Yagac stole from a Hanover Park home on March 22, 2010, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Clarke.

A finger print lifted from the piggy bank led police to Yagac, who sold the laptop to a pawnshop for $80 and the jewelry for $45, Clarke said.

The urn and the ashes were not recovered, Clarke said.

Yagac received credit for 622 days he's spent in custody.