Johnsburg-Area Residents Arrested for Committing Burglaries During Wakes

A McHenry man and woman have been arrested for committing residential burglaries throughout McHenry and Boone counties while the homeowners were attending wakes, police said.

Jacquelyn S. Buccholz, 24, and Jason Werner, 26, both of 108 Pleasant View Dr., McHenry (northeast of Johnsburg near Pistakee Lake), on Wednesday were each charged with one count of residential burglary.

Bond was set at $80,000 each, and both Buccholz and Werner are awaiting a court date set by a judge.

The couple was apprehended following a residential burglary in Barrington on Friday, Sept. 21, according to a press release issued by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren.  

Barrington Police Chief Jerry Libit said someone rang the doorbell of a home on 800 block of Meadow Lane, according to a Barrington Patch.com article. No one answered the door, but those inside the home saw a strange car in the driveway.

“The next thing they knew they heard noises in the house, investigated and confronted a young woman in the house,” Libit said.

Libit said one home occupant chased Buchholz until she fled out a window. Later that evening, the suspect returned to the home through that same window. After another confrontation, Buchholz fled the scene again, and police were called.

Werner did not enter the home, but was arrested as an accomplice who drove the car used to commit the "random" crime, said Libit, adding that nothing was taken from the house. 

Burglaries in McHenry and Boone Counties

Investigators from the McHenry County and Boone County sheriff offices subsequently interviewed Buchholz and Werner, who confessed to several residential burglaries in unincorporated McHenry and Boone Counties, police said.

When planning break-ins, Buchholz and Werner read the obituaries published by local newspapers and gathered personal information to commit burglaries to family members attending wakes, Nygren said in the release. 

Most of the burglaries that occurred in McHenry County were in the western half of the county. The stolen property was recovered and has been connected to recent burglaries, Nygren said.

The investigation continues and additional charges are pending.

Nygren recommends familes whose personal information has been published in an obituary notice have a trusted friend, or family member watch over their house while they are away.

The Sheriff’s Office also provides extra patrol /vacation watches for those requesting assistance while they are away. Requests can be sent through the sheriff department website: www.mchenrysheriff.org