Joliet burglary patrols witness crime

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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:41AM

JOLIET — As usual, Officer Mike Reilly was exactly where he needed to be Wednesday morning.

Reilly and the police department’s burglary task force patrol specifically to stop break-ins, which are still occurring regularly in the central and eastern districts. But those patrols proved unfortunate for three teen accused of breaking into a home as Reilly watched from the street.

“Sometimes you get lucky, just being in the right spot at the right time,” Reilly said.

Plain-clothes officers have been using unmarked squad cars to keep an eye on several areas. Reilly was doing just that at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday near Broadway and Lime Street.

“I saw three guys in dark clothing just coming up the hill and they were looking hard at houses. I just got the feeling they were up to no good,” Reilly said.

Reilly parked and radioed other burglary officers as the trio entered the 400 block of Summit Street.

Reilly and Officer Tony Lakota reportedly saw Justin A. Salle, 17, beat on the front door of a house as Ali Aranda, 18, walked to the front of the property and looked up and down the street. Another officer in the next block reported spotting a 16-year-old boy also acting as a lookout in the backyard.

After a few minutes, the three teens came out into the alley. Reilly checked the house and found that the outside door had pry marks and the basement door was open.

“There was a big dusty spot on a TV stand inside,” Reilly said, indicating a TV had been taken.

Officers moved in to arrest the trio, but Salle and the 16-year-old boy allegedly ran down Pine Street before being stopped between Division Street and Western Avenue.

Salle had a stolen laptop in his jacket, Reilly said.

Officers reportedly found a TV set the alleged burglars had taken from the home and moved to the garage.

“They admitted they were planning to come back for it since they’d forgotten to take the remote control and laptop power cord from inside,” Reilly said.

Salle, of 1 N. Center St., and Aranda, of 221 N. Hickory St., were booked into the county jail on burglary charges. The 16-year-old was sent to the River Valley Juvenile Detention Center.

Reilly was happy with the task force’s arrests, but hopes their next bust won’t require an officer to witness the crime.

“I realize a lot of people work during the day, but for the 10 or 15 minutes the (suspects) were looking at properties and on the street, we didn’t receive a single phone call,” Reilly said. “The residents are going to know who’s in the neighborhood, and we don’t mind when they call if something’s suspicious.”