A man, who has been sent to prison 18 times for residential burglary, was ordered held without bond after being arrested for committing six home burglaries in Crystal Lake and Woodstock.
Scott A. Weissert, 60, of Lakemoor, was charged last month with four counts of residential burglary, one count of resisting a peace officer causing injury and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
He was later charged with two additional counts of residential burglary.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said they were notified on March 16 of a residential burglary that occurred in the 3700 block of Doty Road in unincorporated Woodstock.
The suspect, Weissert, allegedly entered the residence and stole several items of “valuable jewelry,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney William Bruce said Weissert was caught on a surveillance camera, which was inside the house, wearing a black ski mask and entering multiple rooms of the home.
Weissert exited the residence while carrying a pillowcase “stuffed with jewelry” and other items, Bruce said.
Nearby surveillance camera footage captured Weissert arriving in an older model Cadillac nearby Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Woodstock before committing the burglary.
The next day, Weissert began banging loudly on the front door of a home in the 9200 block of Ridgefield Road in unincorporated Woodstock around 2 p.m., Bruce said.
The female homeowner was inside at the time but did not answer the door because she did not recognize the man.
Weissert forced his way into the home moments later and the woman screamed, causing Weissert to flee the scene in his Cadillac sedan, Bruce said.
A police camera on Route 14 in Woodstock captured the Cadillac’s license plate.
An hour later, the homeowners of a residence in the 300 block of North Oak Street in Crystal Lake reported their home had been burglarized.
Ring video camera footage showed Weissert attempting to enter their home through a locked door.
He gained entry to the home through the sliding glass door in the rear of the house, Bruce said.
Several items of jewelry were stolen and placed in a pillowcase taken from the home.
A homeowner in the 8900 block of Lucas Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake arrived home around 4:30 p.m. the same day and found his front door had been broken open.
The suspect had gone through two rooms of the home. Weissert was caught on video walking toward the residence around 1:30 p.m. that day after parking his Cadillac nearby, Bruce said.
Weissert’s sister-in-law was interviewed and identified Weissert as the subject in the surveillance photo for the Lucas Road burglary.
Burglary proceeds were recovered from the Cadillac after officers arrested Weissert on March 21, Bruce said.
Weissert resisted arrested and caused a detective to injure his shoulder, according to a criminal complaint.
He was also found with less than 15 grams of a substance containing cocaine.
Following his arrest, Weissert was charged in two additional burglaries — for a total of six burglaries — that occurred in the 400 block of Harold Street in Crystal Lake and the 300 block of North Oak Street in Crystal Lake.
Weissert was most recently serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted in July 2017 of residential burglary in Cook County, Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) records show.
He was paroled in October 2022 and placed on supervised release.
Weissert has a history of residential burglary convictions in Lake, DuPage, Cook and Schuyler counties, IDOC records show.
He has been sent to the IDOC 18 different times since 1981 for residential burglaries.
Weissert was sent to the IDOC on three additional occasions for other offenses, including theft, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.
Bruce said Weissert would pose a “real and present threat” to the physical safety of others if he was to be released.
“Upon release on any bail or set of conditions, the question is not whether the defendant will commit another residential burglary, but how soon until the defendant violates the sanctity of another’s home in the commission of a residential burglary,” Bruce said.
Prosecutors formally asked the court to hold Weissert without bond following his arrest.
McHenry County Judge James Cowlin granted the request, saying the “proof is evident and the presumption great the defendant committed the offenses charges and that no set of conditions can be ordered to ensure the safety of the public.”
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for April 19.