Roselle brothers charged in car burglary ring

Two Roselle brothers are suspected of operating a car burglary ring that netted hundreds of electronic items and power tools.

Roselle police nabbed the two after responding to a call about suspicious men casing parked cars in a residential neighborhood on the 600 block of Waterford Court early Saturday morning.

Timothy L. Phillips, 27, and his 21-year-old brother Patrick J. Phillips have been charged with burglary and resisting arrest. The elder brother is also facing charges for attempting to steal a police car.

The pair was spotted on an adjacent street by the first responding police officer shortly after 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Police officials said they bolted toward nearby Lake Park High School after spotting the approaching police car. Officers set up a perimeter in the neighborhood with the help of Itasca police.

Soon after the blockade was in place, the older Phillips brother slipped into an Itasca police car, but bailed after discovering the keys weren't in the ignition. He tried to run, but was quickly apprehended by police. When police caught up with Timothy Phillips, police said he had stolen property in his possession.

The younger brother was arrested a short time later at their home at 620 Radnor Drive in Roselle.

A warrant was issued to search the home and that's when police discovered a bevy of electronic equipment and power tools that appears to have been stolen during recent car burglaries. The items included GPS units, stereos and saws, police said.

The two are being held at the DuPage County jail in Wheaton. Timothy Phillips is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond and Patrick Phillips is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond, authorities said.

Both have had brushes with the law in the past. The older brother still owes nearly $5,000 in fines and fees stemming from a 2005 drunken driving conviction, according to court records. He also pleaded guilty to a battery arrest in Bensenville in 2007. The younger Phillips brother was already wanted by Roselle police at the time of his arrest on a December 2008 burglary charge.

Roselle Sgt. John Lawson said a Metra parking lot for the Schaumburg station is near the brothers' home and cars there were likely targeted by the two. He is urging anyone who might have had their car burglarized in recent months to contact Roselle police at (630) 671-4044 or e mail crimetips@roselle.il.us.