5-year prison sentence for Wheaton attempted home invasion

A Chicago man was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for his role in an attempted April home invasion that led to a police chase in Wheaton.

Gerardo Flores, 19, of the 4900 block of West Fletcher Street, pleaded guilty in October to attempted residential burglary. In April, Flores and three juveniles initially were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and attempted residential burglary.

Wheaton police were called around 7 p.m. on April 7, 2018, to a report of a residential burglary in the area of 1600 East Pershing Avenue, south of Roosevelt Road. A witness saw three people trying to break into a house, prosecutors said.

The trio fled in a Dodge van driven by a fourth person. The witness followed the suspects and gave information to officers.

The van was reported stolen in Chicago, authorities said.

Wheaton officers spotted the vehicle near Farnham Lane and Naperville Road and tried to stop it, but the suspects fled. Officers gave chase and eventually used a tire-deflating device to disable one of the van's tires.

The suspects abandoned the van on the 800 block of North West Street and fled, prosecutors said. A police dog from Elmhurst helped track the suspects to a shed a few blocks away.

Flores has been held on $150,000 bail since his arrest.