Full Notification

North Aurora, IL – An alert citizen’s call to police for a suspicious vehicle lead to officers interrupting a vehicle burglary in progress on North Aurora’s east side early Monday morning and police are now investigating an additional eight vehicles that were either burglarized or illegally entered.  It all began at about 5:15 a.m. on Monday, April 9^th in the 100 block of Briar Ln. 

Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Briar Ln. for a suspicious vehicle.   Witnesses indicated that a red Toyota 4 door had been parked in front of the house for about 45 minutes and that the driver of the vehicle had walked away on foot so officers began a search for him.  During the investigation, an unlocked gray Chevy sedan parked at that location was found to be missing the garage door opener.

A short time later, officers located a male, later identified as 19 year old Jovany Marquez-Venegas of the 700 blk. of Pierce St, Aurora, as he exited a white Toyota Camry in the 200 block of Briar Ln.  Officers determined Marquez-Venegas matched the description provided by witnesses and the Camry belonged to someone else.  The vehicle owner reported that a pocket knife and $26 cash was taken.

Additional investigation revealed two additional vehicles that Marquez-Venegas illegally entered but did not take anything: a white Chevy Express van in the 100 block of Dee Rd. and a black Chevy Cobalt in the 300 block of Hill Ave.

Marquez-Venegas was charged with the following charges authorized by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office that relate to the white Toyota Camry, white Chevy Express van, and black Chevy Cobalt described above:

• Burglary to Motor Vehicle, a Class 2 Felony
• Criminal Trespass to Vehicle (2 counts), both class A Misdemeanors

 
Marquez-Venegas was held at the North Aurora Police Department until a bond hearing later on Monday, where his bond was set at $10,000 / 10%.  He was transferred into the custody of the Kane County jail.

Criminal charges are merely accusations and Marquez-Venegas is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The North Aurora Police Department has recovered the following items that are believed to be stolen and are seeking anyone who might be missing such items to contact the Investigations division:

• Black & green iPod
• Gray Visa gift card
• Black Harbor Freight flashlight
• Silver Element flashlight

Additionally, the North Aurora Police Department has received the following similar reports in the same area around the same time (it is not yet know if these are related to the charges brought against Marquez-Venegas):

• A resident in the 200 block of Hill Ave reported that someone unlawfully entered and took a ratchet set from a silver Honda Pilot.
• A resident in the 200 block of Hill Ave reported that someone unlawfully entered a green Honda Accord.
• A resident in the 200 block of Hill Ave. reported that someone unlawfully entered a white Kia van.
• A resident in the 100 block of Dee Rd. reported that someone unlawfully entered and took a small amount of change from a white/gray Kia.
• A resident in the 100 block of Dee Rd. reported that someone unlawfully entered a blue Honda van and took $100 cash.

 
Note that ALL vehicles involved in these cases were UNLOCKED and none of the vehicles had any forced entry.  The North Aurora Police Department cautions all residents that the best way to prevent you from becoming a burglary victim is to park your car in your garage and close the door.  If that is not possible, we recommend locking your car doors and removing any valuables, including keys or garage openers that could give a burglar access to your home.  The vast majority of vehicle burglaries happen to unlocked vehicles and in the rare cases where entry was forced, there were usually valuables in plain sight or evidence that valuables were present (such as a charging cord leading into the center console.)

These cases remain under investigation by the North Aurora Police Department.  Anyone with information about any of them should call the Investigations Division at (630) 897-8705, ext 610.  Anonymous tips may be left by calling (630) 897-8705 and choosing option 3.  Or call Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000 and receive a reward for information leading to a felony arrest.

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