Smash-and-grab robberies have common thread

Police in three Fox Valley towns are investigating three smash-and-grab burglaries in the past two days and wonder if they're connected.

Gilberts police said they got an activated alarm from New Vision Home Audio at 215 E. Higgins Road at 6:44 a.m. Wednesday.

When they arrived at the business three minutes later, they found a front window had been smashed with a red landscaping brick.

A docking station for a computer was lying on the floor, a computer valued at $300 had been stolen and minor damage had been done to the wooden flooring.

About an hour later, East Dundee police responded to a burglar alarm at Rent-A-Center, 485 S. Dundee Ave.

A red landscaping brick had been thrown through a window.

Two television sets together valued at $2,699 had been stolen from the rental center.

An employee said similar bricks had been thrown through windows before burglaries at four or five rental centers in the Chicago area.

Around 3 a.m. Thursday, West Dundee police responded to the AT&T Store at 729 W. Main St.

West Dundee police were still investigating the burglary Thursday afternoon and although they hadn't received a complete inventory of stolen items, they had been told numerous telephones were missing from the store.

A double-pane glass window at the store was shattered and the back door was open when they arrived.

No brick was found.

Those with any information about these burglaries can call Gilberts police at (847) 428-2954, East Dundee police at (847) 428-4034 or West Dundee police at (847) 551-3810.