Former Hinsdale Man Arrested for Riverside Apartment Burglaries

A former Hinsdale man with 20 prior arrests and convictions for theft, dangerous drugs and assault has now been charged with burglarizing apartment complexes in Riverside, according to a Riverside Police Department press release. 

Ronald O. Belousek, 38, of Riverside was charged with four counts of felony residential burglary on Thursday. Prior to moving to Riverside, Belousek lived on the 800 block of South Jackson Street in Hinsdale.

Police began investigating four separate burglaries in recent weeks reported at apartment complexes at 63 Forest and 22 East Avenue. The burglaries dated back to Dec. 26. Three of the burglaries took place at 63 Forest and one at 22 East.

A video surveillance set up near the apartment complex alerted police on Jan. 28 to a man parked in front of 63 Forest that matched the description of the suspect in the burglaries, according to the news release. 

Police "made contact with Blusick on Tuesday night but he denied any involvement and would not allow officers into his apartment complex," according to police. 

Following that contact, police said Blusick approached tenants in the apartment complex and suggested setting up an apartment/neighborhood watch program. He said he'd be ideal in running the group because he had a concealed carry license, which Riverside Police said they have not been able to verify.

Belousek was arrested on Wednesday for the burglaries. He has a criminal history that includes 20 arrests and convictions for weapons offense, theft, public disturbances, dangerous drugs, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, invasion of privacy and assault, according to the news release. 

His last arrest was in July 2013 for theft by the Lyons Police Department. 

The Riverside Police Department provided the following information below regarding their investigation into the burglaries and Belousek's arrest. 

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.

The investigation is still ongoing with police investigating open burglaries dating back to 2012.