Man charged in Gurnee break-in

Police are crediting an alert resident of a Gurnee neighborhood for jotting down a suspicious license plate, which eventually lead to a residential burglary arrest more than two months after the crime.

Neighbors on the 200 block of Hickory Haven Drive West were keeping an eye on a home for residents who were out of town when they spotted a side door to the home open on Nov. 23, police said.

Police responded and found that someone had forcefully entered the home and stolen jewelry and cash.

Authorities talked with a neighbor who saw a man walking down the street with a shopping bag. The neighbor saw a vehicle pick up the man with the shopping bag, thought it was suspicious and wrote down the car’s license plate, police said.

Police conducted an investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for Willian Shane Nichols, 41, who was arrested on Tuesday.

Nichols, whose last known address is in Zion, was charged with residential burglary, theft and enhanced theft, according to authorities.

Nichols is being held at Lake County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.