7 years for St. Charles burglary

A 31-year-old St. Charles man was sentenced this week to seven years in prison for a 2010 burglary.

Wayne M. Van De Carr, of the 1300 block of West Main Street, pleaded guilty in August to burglarizing a second-floor apartment in his building.

Court records show this was Van De Carr’s first offense in Kane County, but Kane Circuit Judge Karen Simpson sentenced him to prison time based on six felony arrests in Cook County dating back to 2000.

He could have faced up to 15 years in prison on the burglary charge.

Some of the Cook County offenses included two instances of possession of a stolen vehicle, attempted robbery, theft and possession of a controlled substance.

Van De Carr was accused of entering the St. Charles apartment through a patio door May 14, 2010, and stealing jewelry, a video game system, camera equipment, cash and other items.

Authorities said Van De Carr sold many of the items to an Oak Park pawnshop.

Elmwood Park Police officers, who knew Van De Carr because of his arrests in Cook County, learned that Van De Carr’s stolen items ended up in Oak Park. They also knew he recently moved to St. Charles and alerted authorities here.

Van De Carr can have his sentence halved for good behavior. He also gets credit for nearly 18 months in jail while his case was pending.