Instead of a Valentine, a Bourbonnais man was gifted with two counts of felony burglary on Feb. 14. 

Around 7:50 p.m. a police officer observed a man in the driveway of a home on the 2800 block of 100th Street, an area that has been hit with several garage burglaries in recent weeks, police said. 

John W. Sternquist, 55, then got into his car and drove away at a high rate of speed, police said. Officers pursued Sternquist and saw him blow through a total of five stop signs reaching speeds of 62 mph in a 25 mph zone, police said. 

Eventually he blew a tire and police were able to stop the car on 100th Place in Beverly. Police believe he committed two burglaries Thursday. One garage was forced open and a lawnmower and nail gun case was found in the alley, police said. A second garage on the 2800 block of 100th Place had been broken into through a window, but the burglar left without taking anything, police said. 

Police say they are working to possibly connect Sternquist with other area garage burglaries. While in custody he gave a statement admitting his involvement in the two burglaries, police said. 

Besides the two felony burglary charges, Sternquist was also charged with felony fleeing and alluding. Traffic citations include disobeying stop signs, speeding and no rear registration light.

An Evergreen Park Patch reader whose garage has been broken into twice in two months left a message of thanks to the officers who apprehended Sternquist. 

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Police report information is provided by the Evergreen Park Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions 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. We will verify and report the outcome.

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