How Geneva police used surveillance footage to arrest burglary suspects
Geneva police used surveillance footage to track suspects in car burglaries, resulting in the arrest of two men last week.
David M. Santo, 37, of the 300 block of Ridge Road in North Aurora, and Mark D. Beltran, 48, of the 600 block of Cleveland Street in Aurora, each face three counts of felony burglary without causing damage, three counts of theft of property valued at less than $500 and two counts of unlawful possession of a credit or debit card, court records show.
Both have previous burglary convictions in Kane County: Santo in 2013 and Beltran in 2003.
Their latest charges stem the burglaries is three unlocked vehicles from 1:48 a.m. to 2:05 a.m. May 12 within a small area of the city: the 100 block of South Cambridge Drive, the 2200 block of Wildflower Court and the 220 block of Wild Dunes Court.
Surveillance camera footage showed a vehicle with its headlights off stopping at the South Cambridge Driveway at 1:49 a.m. and someone with a flashlight looking into vehicles in the driveway, according to police.
The next day, Santo pawned a gray Dell laptop matching one reported stolen from the vehicle in South Cambridge Drive, authorities said. The owner identified the laptop as his.
A purse containing Chase credit and debit cards was taken from the car on Wild Dunes Court. Minutes before 5 a.m., the victim received a text message indicating her cards had been used to try to buy $517.29 in merchandise at Walgreens, but the transactions were denied.
Santo's public defender Seth McClure said he had no comment. Beltran's public defender had not yet been assigned as of last week.
In an email, Geneva Deputy Police Chief Brian Maduzia praised officers for their work on the case.
"I know our detectives are working more than five cases that may (or may not) be linked to Mr. Santo and Mr. Beltran," Maduzia wrote. " I'm sure other law enforcement agencies in the area are doing some additional investigations in their towns. I will decline to comment on the extent of the investigative work at this time, as all those cases are still under active investigation."
Maduzia also urged residents to lock their cars and remove their valuables, as the majority of car burglaries are crimes of opportunity.
Beltran is being held in the Kane County jail on $71,000 bail, according to jail records. He's scheduled to appear in court Aug. 11.
Santo is in custody at the jail on $68,800 bail, records show. He's due in court Aug. 4.