A Cook County judge sentenced a Chicago man to 20 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to two charges of residential burglary committed in Evanston.
“It’s quite a lengthy prison sentence for a residential burglary,” Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said.
Kelly Skamra, 45, was first arrested Dec. 1 after burglarizing a house in the 500 block of Grey Avenue. Police said a resident’s children spotted Skamra, of the 500 block of West 14th Place, leaving with a laptop. Skamra was stopped a short distance away and taken into custody.
Skamra was also tied to a Nov. 26 burglary in the 2800 block of Sheridan Road, where authorities found the man’s fingerprint, Parrott said. Skamra has remained in custody since Dec. 1.
Parrott said the man is a habitual burglar and police believe he was involved in more burglaries than those for which he was convicted.
— Ciara McCarthy
