Facebook posts help Aurora police crack three felony cases

Police in west suburban Aurora were able to crack three felony cases after posting surveillance photos on social media over the past two months.

A man and two teenage boys have been charged with theft and burglary after they were identified from surveillance images police posted to Facebook, according to a statement from the Aurora police.

Karlon Hudson, 45, is charged with five counts of unlawful use of a credit card and felony theft for using a stolen credit card to withdraw more than $1,600 from bank and convenience store ATMs on Feb. 25, police said. An Oswego resident recognized Hudson from photos the department posted on March 3 and gave officers information that led to his identification.

Police say this surveillance image shows Karlon Hudson using a stolen credit card at an ATM. | Aurora police

Hudson was also charged with burglary and felony theft for a break-in at an apartment business office in the 1300 block of Marshall Boulevard on Jan. 24, police said. Two televisions and more than $3,700 in tools were stolen in the burglary.

Two boys, ages 15 and 17, were also charged with burglary for stealing a car stereo worth an estimated $600 from a vehicle in a downtown Aurora parking garage on March 16, police said. They were identified after police received several phone calls as a result of posting surveillance pictures to Facebook on April 2.

More than 25,000 people viewed the posts on the department’s Facebook page.

Surveillance image of two teenagers suspected of stealing a car stereo in an Aurora parking garage in March. | Aurora police