Two Chicago men who police say belong to an organized crime group are facing charges after allegedly burglarizing a home in northwest suburban Itasca.
David B. Nicholas, 33, is charged with one count of residential burglary and one count of theft, according to the DuPage County sheriff’s office.
Frank S. Ely, 27, is charged with the same offenses, the sheriff’s office said.
About 11 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies Brian Barkalow and Szymon Pierscionowski responded to reports of a burglary in progress at a home in the 5N200 block of Lloyd Avenue in unincorporated Itasca, the sheriff’s office said.
They gained entry into the home, found an open door, immediately located a suspect and took them into custody, the sheriff’s office said.
The deputies found a second suspect in the home who was armed with a crowbar and initially refused to obey their commands, the sheriff’s office said. They managed to arrest them without incident.
An investigation found the two men are part of the Eastern European Criminal Travelers, an organized crime group, the sheriff’s office said.
Nicholas and Ely are being held on $100,000 and $50,000 bond respectively. Their next court appearance was scheduled for July 31.
“I could not be more proud of the fine work of Deputies Barkalow and Pierscionowski,” Sheriff James Medrick said. “They demonstrated the ability to de-escalate a very volatile situation that could have easily resulted in a violent end.”
