5-man ‘ruse burglary’ crew caught in the act in Barrington Hills: police

Five men have been charged with targeting an 87-year-old woman for a “ruse burglary” in northwest suburban Barrington Hills.

Multiple members of the five-person burglary crew rang the doorbell of the woman’s Barrington Hills home on April 30 and tried to lure her outside, according to a statement from Illinois State Police. They told her they performed work such as sealcoating driveways, construction and landscaping.

As the woman went to her backyard to view the landscaping, other suspects forced entry to the front door and went into her bedroom, state police said. The woman got suspicious and asked the men to leave when they started asking her if anyone else was home. As she was dialing 911, she saw two men run out of her bedroom and out the front door.

Members of state police’s Ruse Burglary Task Force were conducting surveillance on the crew at the time of the burglary, state police said. The investigation started after the group allegedly stole $60,000 from an 82-year-old victim in a separate ruse burglary.

The officers conducting the surveillance saw the suspects running from the home and took all five of them into custody, according to state police.

One felony count of residential burglary was filed against 56-year-old Beatle Miller of Arlington Heights; 44-year-old Walter Miller of Mount Prospect; 28-year-old Anthony Miller of Des Plaines; Tom Miller, 29, of Arlington Heights; and Alan Ely, 29, of Mount Prospect, according to state police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Bail for Beatle Miller, Walter Miller and Tom Miller was set at $20,000 each, while Anthony Miller’s bail was set at $100,000, authorities said. Alan Ely was released on his own recognizance.