A man, who has been previously sent to prison in 18 different residential burglaries, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing six home burglaries in Crystal Lake and Woodstock.
Scott A. Weissert, 61, of Lakemoor, was charged in March 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 near 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 from the Lucas Road burglary.
Burglary proceeds were recovered from the Cadillac after officers arrested Weissert on March 21, Bruce said.
Weissert resisted arrest 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.
The two additional burglaries that Weissert was later charged with following his arrest 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 sentenced to the IDOC for 18 different residential burglaries since 1981.
Weissert was sent to the IDOC on three additional occasions for other offenses, including theft, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance — meaning he is a 21-time convicted felon at a minimum, not including other felony convictions that he was not sent to prison on.
Weissert has been held in the McHenry County Jail without bond since his arrest.
Prosecutors said at the time that it was not a question of whether Weissert would commit another residential burglary, rather it was a question of how soon it would be before it happened again.
Court records show Weissert entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office this week.
He pleaded guilty to three of the six residential burglary charges and one count of resisting a peace officer. The rest of the charges were dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt approved the plea and sentenced Weissert on Tuesday to 12 years in the IDOC on the burglary charges and three years in the IDOC on the resisting a peace officer charge.
The sentences will be served concurrently and at 50% in accordance with truth-in-sentencing guidelines.
Weissert will receive 309 days of credit for time already served.