Footprints in the Snow Lead Police Sergeant to Burglary Suspect

Savvy police work led to the arrest of a man Clarendon Hills police officials said they believe burglarized two vehicles early Monday morning.

Adam Rossal, 37, of the 10300 block of South Spaulding Avenue, Chicago, was charged with illegal trespass to railroad property, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia misdemeanors at 2:25 a.m. Monday after Sgt. Paul Dalen saw footprints in the snow around cars in the Blackhawk Heights neighborhood, observed Rossal near one of the cars, and, after Rossal fled, pursued and took him into custody in the 140 block of Ann Street.

Dalen caught up with Rossal, according to Detective Aaron Shirley, after the suspect broke his ankle coming down from the top of a garage he scaled during the chase near an apartment complex on Ann Street. He had parked his car near the complex.

Rossal was transported to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital and released on bond to appear in court.

Shirley said police did not charge Rossal with any felony burglaries because he was not observed entering two cars that appear to have been burglarized in the area he fled, and no items from those cars were found on him after his arrest. Even so, Chief Ted Jenkins called it “an excellent arrest” at Monday night’s Clarendon Hills Village Board meeting.

“Police departments around here don’t catch those kind of guys very often because it’s a real quick, middle-of-the-night kind of thing,” Jenkins said.

Shirley said he’s checking to see if several items found in Rossal’s car match items missing from other cars burglarized recently in the western suburbs.

Rossal has prior convictions, Jenkins said. A search of the name in the Clerk of the Circuit Court of DuPage County database brings up prior guilty pleas following theft-related charges in Hinsdale, Downers Grove and Naperville.

There are plenty of ways to keep up on Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills news:

• Sign up for our daily email newsletter

• Like us on Facebook

See also:

• Another 'Contest' Phone Scam Reported: Police Blotter
• Accused O’Laughlin Killer Will Represent Self in Court
• $700 in Items Stolen from Unlocked Car: Police Blotter

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies, including the Clarendon Hills Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor by emailing joe.odonnell@patch.com. We will verify and report the outcome.