Gurnee neighbors praised for burglary bust lead

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DOB 10/31/75 OF 5636 Des Plaines Court Gurnee Confined 2/7/12 on: one count Res Burg one count Theft Control Intent 500<10K one count Theft/Stolen/Intent<500 Prior no release info, court in the county court house 3/6/12 1:30pm, C120

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:37AM

GURNEE — Sharp-eyed neighbors with a healthy dose of suspicion that are part of a Neighborhood Watch group are being credited with helping police solve a burglary on Hickory Haven Drive West.

William Shane Nichols, 41, with a last known address in Zion, was being held on $100,000 bond in Lake County Jail on charges of burglary, theft and enhanced theft, according to Gurnee police. He was arrested on a warrant Tuesday by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies from the warrant division.

The burglary was reported to police on Nov. 23, 2011, at 8 a.m. by neighbors of a home in the 200 block of Hickory Haven Drive West, who were watching their neighbors’ house while they were on vacation. They called police because they noticed a side door open, police said Wednesday.

Police said the door had been forced open and jewelry and cash were taken.

A canvass of the neighborhood was conducted and one of the neighbors provided information about a subject walking down the street with a shopping bag. They were driving home the night before and saw the subject walking, and then he was picked up by a vehicle.

They thought it was suspicious and wrote down the license plate number for the car. That information eventually led investigators to the suspect.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a warrant for Nichols’ arrest on Monday and sheriff’s deputies found him the next day.

“This was an excellent example of residents working in partnership with the police,” said Gurnee Police Chief Kevin Woodside.

“There is an active Neighborhood Watch program in the area where this burglary occurred. Neighbors watching out for each other and taking notice of something that looked suspicious in their neighborhood directly resulted in the identification of a suspect and led to his arrest. That is what Neighborhood Watch is all about,” he said.