Casey Bankord was settling into his Rockford home as a newlywed this summer when life took an unexpected turn.
"The T-V was gone, her laptop was gone, some other things and everything in the drawers was emptied out," Bankord said.
A burglar struck the Bankord's house August 12th. Neither Bankord nor his wife were home but police told them the suspect...
"Took a pry bar and either kicked or put a shoulder into the door," Bankord said.
This case is one of 13 burglaries on Rockford's Northeast Side since July 1st. Rockford Police first arrested these two men, both of Rockford. This past weekend, they nabbed 36-year-old Anthony Starks in Rockford. They call him the ringleader behind these burglaries and believe they go well beyond Rockford.
"We've had contact with two different police agencies in the suburbs of Chicago, McHenry County Sheriff's Office and Elgin and they are also having burglaries and home invasions similar to what were having," Deputy Chief Greg Lindmark said.
Lindmark says these incidents are all happening in broad daylight. The suspects enter like they did at Bankord home and steal similar items.
While neighbors like Bankord are happy with the recent arrests, they're still not taking second chances. The Bankord's have installed a new security system.
"We're fine and we're really grateful for that but at the same time we want a little bit of assurance that things are going to be alright," Bankord said.
Police say all together there's been about 200 stolen goods locally. Their total value is upwards of $100,000. They also expect more arrests to come but gave no indication of when or how many more.