Teenage gang members charged in Wheeling home burglaries

Two Wheeling teenagers who belong to the same street gang face felony charges in connection with a string of home burglaries on Wheeling's east side, police said Friday.

The suspects, ages 14 and 15, are accused of breaking into the homes and stealing mostly electronic items, as well as a knife collection, on Nov. 22 and 23, police said.

Most of the homes burglarized are in the Shadowbend subdivision off Milwaukee Avenue, Deputy Police Chief Todd Wolff said. In three cases, the teens forced their way into locked entrances, he said. In one home, the duo got in through an unlocked door.

Police surveillance in the neighborhoods helped track down the suspects, police said.

On Dec. 4, the two teens were arrested on felony charges of residential burglary and theft, after investigators recovered stolen property on them and at their Wheeling homes, police said.

The Cook County juvenile detention center declined to hold the pair, and they were released to the custody of their parents, police said.

Both will be petitioned to Cook County juvenile court.