7 Charged In Burglary Ring Spanning 4 Counties
MONROEVILLE (KDKA) -- Seven people have been arrested in connection to a burglary ring that spanned four counties in western Pennsylvania.
John Balicki is accused of being the leader of the burglary ring. The 29-year-old of Monroeville has been on law enforcement radar for awhile.
In July of 2004, Balicki was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars in cash, jewelry and electronics from a home in Westmoreland County.
Now Balicki and six others are charged by the acting state attorney with at least 10 burglaries in Allegheny, Butler, Beaver and Lawrence counties, netting nearly $210,000 from February to April last year.
"It's possible that we'll file future charges in other burglaries as more investigation or more information becomes available to the police department," says Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole.
Skilled at bypassing alarm systems, according to police, the alleged burglars wore brown shirts, pants, hats and gloves pretending to be landscapers to scope out targets.
"They would knock on the door and if they did not get an answer they would go to the rear of the structure – a single family dwelling structure and for entry," Cole said.
A state grand jury found that everything from passports, coins, guns, computers and cameras to a Chevy Tahoe were taken.
Besides Balicki- others charged with the burglaries are: 29-year-old Matthew Barth of West Finley; 28-year-old Kelly Kuzbicki, of Beaver Falls; 25-year-old Kyle Smith of Monroeville; 20-year-old Christopher Black, also from Monroeville; 33-year-old Ty Brown of Connellsville and 25-year-old Michael Koebler of Monroeville.
Chief Cole says the investigation is not over.
