Police Manhunt Ends with Squatter Charged with Burglary

A man who'd been squatting in an empty Aspen Falls subdivision home was arrested on a burglary charge Monday morning following a police manhunt, Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said.

Police responded to a 9 a.m. call about someone living illegally in a home in the 6700 block of Sahara Drive and spotted a man fitting the suspect's description walking down the street, Benton said. They stopped him for questioning, but the suspect took off running when they asked for identification, he said.

The officers called for backup units, including search dogs, and set up a perimeter search near the area of Caton Farm and County Line roads. Jamelle D. Collier, 22, of 7017 Creekside, Plainfield, was taken into custody a short while later, Benton said.

Under questioning, Collier admitted to police he'd been living in the unoccupied house periodically and had stolen items from inside, he said. It's not known if the house was in foreclosure or if Collier knew the owners.

Collier was arrested on charges of residential burglary and obstructing police, Benton said. He's being held in the Will County jail pending a Tuesday afternoon bond hearing.

There have been several home and vehicle break-ins reported in the subdivision in recent weeks, and police are interviewing Collier as a possible suspect, the chief said.