Trio Accused Of Torching House After Finding Nothing To Steal
WHEATON (CBS) -- Three northwest suburban men, including two undocumented immigrants, were apparently unhappy that the home they had broken into was empty, so they set it on fire Sunday night, police say.
About 10:40 p.m. Sunday, the Hanover Park police and fire departments responded to a house fire at 27-W-431 Devon Ave. They found the home, which was vacant and for sale, on fire.
Witnesses reported seeing three men running from the home to a white sport-utility vehicle, which left the scene eastbound on Devon, a release from Hanover Park police said.
An officer responding to the fire spotted a white GMC Jimmy a short distance away at Route 20 and County Farm Road, the release said. He stopped the vehicle and arrested Omar Angon 22, of the 7400 block of Briar Avenue in Hanover Park; Raul Perez 20, of the 2500 block of Mark Thomas Lane in Hanover Park; and Pedro Sandoval 24, of the 200 block of Timber Trail in Streamwood.
In court on Tuesday, the three were ordered held on $250,000 bond each on charges of arson and residential burglary, according to DuPage County State's Attorney's office spokesman Paul Darrah.
Prosecutors allege the three "broke into the home and found it empty," Darrah said. "Once inside, they found an old box of clothing and set it on fire."
Angon, Perez, and Sandoval were being held in the DuPage County Jail, and are next scheduled to appear in court on March 28, Darrah said.
The driver of the SUV, Salvador Espinoza 19, of the 1500 block of McKool Avenue in Streamwood, was charged with driving without a valid license and an immigration hold was placed on him by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police said.
Angon and Perez also had immigration holds placed on them by ICE, according to police.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
