Natalia Chi
CHICAGO — A man accused of robbing a church in Lincoln Park during Christmas time returned to Chicago bonded court on Wednesday to face allegations of robbing two more churches.
28-year-old Hannibal Kelly has been in the Cook County Jail since January 19 because he couldn’t afford the $1,000 bail required for his release, prosecutors said. Chicago police arrested him in prison on Tuesday after linking him to a newly charged crime.
In one case, at about 3:20 p.m. on January 8, Kelly was allegedly caught on video breaking through a kindergarten classroom window and entering the St. James Lutheran School at 2101 North Fremont in Lincoln Park. I’m here.
Surveillance camera footage shows him walking around the school and stealing a check and $80 in cash from the principal’s office, said prosecutor Sarah Dale Schmidt. He then entered the church and eventually exited the front door.
At about 7:35 pm on January 13th, Kelly allegedly broke into St. Paul’s Coptic Orthodox Church at North Talman 2500 in Logan Square. Surveillance video showed him walking around the church and tampering with alarm panels, Dale-Schmidt said.
Judge Charles Beach decided to impose an electronically monitored endorsement guarantee on the new allegations, noting that Kelly remains incarcerated because he cannot afford the bail set in the previous lawsuit. I agree.
In previous indictments, Kelly is accused of breaking into the Chicago International Charter School at 2235 North Hamilton at 2:30 am on December 26th. But the safe was not compromised, he said, Dale-Schmidt.
That night, Kelly was again caught on video breaking into St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church at 1010 West Webster. Church officials later found tamper marks on the door and donation box. Daleschmidt said the church vault may not have been locked.
Police arrested Kelly on January 18 after he was seen in the neighborhood by St. Vincent de Paul employees.
Officers said he was carrying a rucksack containing four credit cards with various names on them, as well as checks issued to St. Vincent de Paul and dated Christmas and Christmas Eve. It contained 4 deposit receipts worth 25. A church worker provided the police with two checks approved by Kelly that the parish had received.
In total, Kelly faces four felonies for robbing a school or place of worship.
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