Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Video Captures Woman Looting Package in Edgewater Apartment Building

By Benjamin Woodard | February 12, 2014 6:35am
Edgewater Apartment Burglary
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Benjamin Woodard

EDGEWATER — Jillian McKeown's freshly delivered package of bookmarks — which she had planned to use for a winter reading club at a Wilmette library where she works — was all a burglar took from her apartment building's foyer.

The bookmarks were worth only $5, but the incident was all caught on camera.

Her building's security camera was trained on the foyer in late December, in the 5800 block of North Winthrop Avenue, when footage appears to show a woman approaching the door, jimmying open the lock and looting a small package.

"We were surprised," said McKeown, who has lived on the block with her husband for the past seven years. "Nothing like that has ever happened, so it was a shock to us and our whole building."

 Latesha Bender, 35, entered a common area of a building in the 5400 block of North Winthrop Avenue on Jan. 18 and took several items before fleeing, police said. She has also been charged with entering a man's apartment in the 7600 block of North Eastlake Terrace in Rogers Park and attempting to take a laptop computer, police said. She has not been charged in connection with another incident, picture in the surveillance video, of an apparent theft from a building in the 5800 block of North Winthrop.
Latesha Bender, 35, entered a common area of a building in the 5400 block of North Winthrop Avenue on Jan. 18 and took several items before fleeing, police said. She has also been charged with entering a man's apartment in the 7600 block of North Eastlake Terrace in Rogers Park and attempting to take a laptop computer, police said. She has not been charged in connection with another incident, picture in the surveillance video, of an apparent theft from a building in the 5800 block of North Winthrop.
View Full Caption
Chicago Police Department

Then, it happened again — again under the watchful lens of the foyer camera.

McKeown said this time, however, the thief ripped open her building's packages, didn't see anything she liked and went on her way.

"To us it, sounded like she knew when [the packages] were coming in — she would come in right after they were delivered," she said.

McKeown said after filing a police report a detective called her to follow up. Then she sent frames from the video that showed the suspect's profile.

She also posted the images online in hopes someone might recognize the perpetrator.

Police have yet to charge anyone in connection with the incidents.

But a similar incident in another nearby building has led to the arrest of Latesha Bender, 35, said Janel Sedevic, a police spokeswoman.

Bender, of the 7600 block of North Sheridan Road, was arrested on Jan. 27 and charged with entering a common area of a building in the 5400 block of North Winthrop Avenue on Jan. 18 and taking several items before fleeing, police said.

Bender was also charged with entering a man's apartment in the 7600 block of North Eastlake Terrace in Rogers Park and attempting to take a laptop computer, police said.

Bender's bond was set at $25,000 in January, but she was released as part of the Cook County Sheriff's Female Furlough Program, officials said.

She's due in court on Feb. 21, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Bender is considered a suspect in the incident caught on video, Sedevic said.