NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT 31 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL 60546

31 January 2014
Contact:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chief Thomas Weitzel
tweitzel@riverside.il.us

708.447.2127

Follow RPD on Twitter @pdriverside

Riverside Police Make Arrest in Apartment Complex Burglaries

Police charge resident of complex with multiple burglaries Police Use Streaming Video from Camera to iPad to Make Arrest
Thursday, January 30, 2014 Riverside Police officially charged Ronald O. Belousek, 38 of Riverside with four counts of felony burglary. Riverside Police had been holding Mr. Belousek since Wednesday January 29 when he was stopped in a SUV vehicle after exiting his apartment building and arrested at 8:40 a.m. at Forest and West Avenue. Riverside Police had been initially investigating four separate burglaries in the apartment complexes at 63 Forest and 22 East Avenue that dated back to December, 26, 2013. Three of the burglaries had taken place at 63 Forest and one at 22 East. Since the initial investigation began, police had an additional attempted burglary take place on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 6:10 p.m. In that case, a female victim/tenant was sitting in her apartment when an individual tried to enter her door with a key but was unable to do so because she still had the chain across the door. When the resident came to the door, the suspect fled out the front door at 63 Forest and got into a white SUV and fled eastbound. The victim was able to get a description of the vehicle which helped police along in their investigation. No entry was made in this attempt. In one of the burglaries, the building on-site management office at 63 Forest was burglarized and keys were taken and or copied. Riverside Police also had the assistance of a Riverside resident, who is a Brookfield Police Officer that lives in the area. The off-duty police officer volunteered to assist Riverside Police with a video surveillance system. This resident had a camera set up in his own unit from past troubles with individuals coming to his door. The building in which the off-duty Brookfield Police Officer lived in was on the same hundred block but was not in the same building. Riverside investigators along with the police chief were able to have the Brookfield officer hook his video surveillance up to an iPad which was utilized by the Riverside Police Department and the

WEDGE Gang and Drug Task Force for undercover operations. The tablet was set up so that if there was movement video surveillance would notify the Riverside officer on or off duty via his iPad. On Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 6:10 p.m., a Riverside Police Officer received an immediate notification on his iPad that an individual fitting the description of the suspect and the vehicle was parked in front of 63 Forest. Police officers immediately responded to the residence to check for the suspect. Patrol officers initially contacted Mr. Blusick on Tuesday night but he denied any involvement and would not allow officers into his apartment complex. Police were suspicious of his activities and continued their investigation. Ironically, Mr. Belousek after being confronted by the police, initially went around in the apartment complex and told tenants that he was going to startup an apartment/neighborhood watch program for the building due to the burglaries. He told residents that he would be the ideal choice to run the neighborhood watch program inside the apartment complex because he is the only resident that had a concealed carry license. Riverside Police have yet been able to confirm that this is factual. After obtaining multiple leads, Chief Weitzel authorized an undercover burglary suppression mission which started late Tuesday night and ended up in the arrest of Mr. Belousek at 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Mr. Belousek was taken into custody along with the vehicle he was driving. Police were able to obtain consent to search for the apartment he was staying at as he was living there with another female who was the actual lessee. After conducting a search, police were able to locate several stolen property items from burglaries both at 63 Forest and 22 East Avenue. Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel stated, "The investigation is still ongoing even though Mr. Belousek has been charged with four counts of residential burglary. Our investigation is leading us to some of the stolen property, which was extensive and has been sold on Craigslist, flea markets and shipped directly from the Lyons Post Office to an address in the State of Florida. Police are continuing to follow up all leads and working with multiple jurisdictions to gain additional charges and recover additional stolen property, if possible." Chief Weitzel went on to say, "I cannot express my gratitude enough for the outstanding assistance given to the Riverside Police Department by the off duty Brookfield Police Officer, who also is a Riverside resident. He volunteered to assist our agency not only as a police officer but as a resident of the Village of Riverside. With his expertise with computers, he was able to assist Riverside in being able to wirelessly hook up to a system (his) that alerted us to suspicious activity which then led to the ultimate arrest of Mr. Belousek, for that I am truly grateful." Chief Weitzel also praised Detective Sergeant Frank Lara and Officer James Lazansky who worked the case along with the afternoon patrol division officers nonstop for 48 hours. The video was only sited on the public street on Forest Avenue. Charged with four counts of felony residential burglary is Ronald O. Belousek, 38 of the 0- 100 block of Forest Avenue. Mr. Belousek, before moving to Riverside, lived on the 800 block of South Jackson Street in Hinsdale. Mr. Belousek also had prior addresses in Ann Arbor, MI, Berwyn, and Lyons. Mr. Belousek's criminal history includes 20 prior arrests including convictions for weapons offense, theft, public disturbances, dangerous drugs, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, invasion of privacy and assault. His last arrest before Riverside was in July 2013 for theft by the Lyons Police Department. The investigation is still ongoing with police investigating open burglaries dating back to 2012.