A man with a history of smashing his way into Chicago homes is back in custody after prosecutors linked him to a West Town burglary spree, and police allegedly caught him riding a stolen scooter with a loaded gun and heroin in his bag.
Anthony Wickliffe, 31, has past convictions for theft and multiple residential burglaries, all involving the same signature move: breaking through rear glass doors or windows to steal jewelry, electronics, and other valuables. In 2017, he was convicted of five separate burglaries. In 2019 and 2020, he was convicted again for similar offenses.
Now, prosecutors say Wickliffe returned to the same tactics in July, committing a string of burglaries between July 8 and July 16. The spree, according to a detention filing, involved disabling security cameras, shattering glass doors, and targeting high-value items, including a $7,000 coin collection, custom jewelry, laptops, an electric bike, and a Segway Ninebot scooter.
It began on July 8 around 2:40 p.m. in the 1600 block of West Erie, where a homeowner saw Wickliffe on surveillance footage jumping a backyard fence. Wickliffe allegedly grabbed a broom to smash the camera before the owner arrived to find the glass rear door broken. Nothing was missing…