Six Men Accused of Ruse Burglaries in Orland Park and Palos Park

Six Chicago men are facing felony burglary charges related to ruse incidents in Orland Park and Palos Park.

On Nov. 13, the Palos Park Police Department was called about a residential burglary in the 11600 block of 123rd Place around 4:20 p.m. A woman told police that a man approached her home and said he would be working for the neighbor near her backyard, and wanted to check the property line, according to a release from the Orland Park Police Department. The man then asked the homeowner to follow him to the back of the house, where he then said he’d get some property line markers out of his truck and didn’t return, according to the release.

The woman went inside her house to find her front door was open, as were boxes of her jewelry, and she called police.

Minutes later, Palos Park police received another call about a similar ruse burglary happening on Park Lane. A woman was approached by a man who gave a similar line about checking property lines for a neighbor, according to police. The man followed the woman into the kitchen area of her house, but then left the house empty handed and fled the area in a grey van.

Illinois State Police troopers assisting on the case pulled over the van, and found six men inside, police said.

One of the men, Stanley Miller, 32, of the 3100 block of North California Avenue, was recognized in a police line up as the suspect of a ruse burglary in Orland Park on Oct. 28.

On that date, the Orland Park Police Department was called about a residential burglary in the 18900 block of Briarwood Lane, according to the release. A man approached the homeowner while in the backyard and said he was “from the county” and they were going to “clean up the ditch” behind his home, police said. The man asked the homeowner to then follow him to the back end of the property, according to police.

A few minutes later, the homeowner’s wife yelled from inside the house that two men were inside. She had been asleep in an upstairs room and woke up to hear the two men calling out “hello” several times. The woman saw one of the men coming out of the master bedroom, and chased him and another man out of the house. The three men fled the area in a grey van, without stealing any items from the house.

Miller was charged with residential burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.

The following men were also each charged with conspiracy to commit burglary:

• Alan Ely, 25, of the 3900 block of Diversey Parkway
• Steven Miller, 47, of the 2500 block of North Marmora Avenue
• Tony White, 38, of the 3200 block of North Lawndale Avenue
• Peter Ely, 44, of the 3900 block of Diversey Parkway
• Sonny Ziko, 37, of the 2700 block of North Western Avenue

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