Burglars Make Off With Jewelry, Sheriff's Office Looks for Help

The is investigating a residential burglary that took place on the 5000 block of Smith Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake May 24. 

Lt. James Popovits said the burglary took place in the daytime hours while the homeowners were away and an unspecified amount of jewelry was stolen. He declined to give an estimate of the value of the jewelry or its type, other than the victims' saying the value was "significant." 

Popovits added that it didn't appear brute force was used to gain entry into the home and he did not know if the residents had dogs or an alarm system. 

The house was not ransacked, indicating that the burglar or burglars may have been looking for specific items. 

There have been no other reported burglaries in the area, he said, and there isn’t a particular pattern to this crime that would lead investigators to believe it is connected to any others under investigation. 

“Other than burglars wanting to steal items of value,” he said. 

Popovits said homeowners can protect themselves by locking windows and doors when they are not at home, using timers for lights and having trusted friends and family members watch the house when away. 

Providing photographs of valuables and serial numbers to police is helpful in investigations, he said. 

The homeowners in this case did provide photographs of the stolen jewelry to police which Popovits said will be helpful to the investigation. 

Sheriff Keith Nygren is requesting anyone with information regarding this investigation contact either the McHenry County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-762-STOP (7867), The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (815) 338-2144, or the tip line email address at TipLine@co.mchenry.il.us. 

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the offender(s). 

Crime Stoppers does not use caller ID.