Police nabbed a serial burglar at a west suburban home after a resident called 911 from a closet. The woman, who asked to be identified only as "Mayra," was hiding from the alleged burglar with her 4-year-old son.
"I hid my baby behind the clothes and told him not to make any noise," she said. "I was so scared."
She started to cry, she said.
A nearby patrol officer responded to the call within minutes, according to a press release from the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Police arrested Bradley Ott, 26, as he was leaving the home on Alteld Street in Leyden Township. Ott had with him video games, jewelry and an iPod, along with money and a checkbook.
AUDIO: Listen to Mayra's 911 Call
After his arrest, Ott confessed in writing to police that he had been casing homes on the 10000 block of Alteld Street. He also confessed to several other burglaries in Franklin Park, Elmwood Park and Norridge. When police searched Ott's Franklin Park home Tuesday, they found items from other homes. Some, the release said, were pawned for money that Ott used to buy drugs.
Ott reportedly thought no one was home when he used a brick to break the glass in the front door and break in to Mayra's home. Mayra said Ott had banged on the door twice before, but she did not answer it.
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Mayra stayed in the closet until the police found her.
Ott is charged with one count of residential burglary and, according to the press release, he is being investigated for other crimes. His bond was set Thursday at $17,000.
