Woman gets 8-year prison term for Crystal Lake burglaries

A woman who pleaded guilty in July was sentenced Tuesday on two counts of residential burglary in the Chasefield Crossing complex in Crystal Lake.

Miriam Aranda, 43, of Elgin was sentenced to eight years in prison on each offense; she is required to serve half the sentence, and time for each offense will be served concurrently. When released from prison, she must serve one year of mandatory supervised release, according to the judgment order filed in the McHenry County courthouse. She also will receive credit for 203 days spent in the county jail since her arrest.

In exchange for Aranda’s guilty plea to the Class 1 felonies, two additional counts of residential burglary in the same complex were dismissed, records show. Aranda pleaded guilty to entering two units located in the 800 block of Chasefield Lane on Feb. 13, records show.

The counts dismissed accused Aranda of burglarizing two additional residences and the management building. She also had been charged with possessing burglary tools, according to the complaints filed by Crystal Lake police.

She was accused of entering residences along Chasefield Lane with the intent to commit theft roughly between Dec. 25 of last year and Feb. 20, according to court documents. Each burglary occurred during the daytime hours, police said at the time.

Police said that she entered a building owned by Northwest Property Management on Feb. 20. Police allege she also possessed on that day three plastic latch opening shims, three bent lock-picking plastic style credit cards, two tensioners, one set containing six lock-pick rakes and two individual lock-picking combs suitable for breaking into a building, vehicle or through a padlock, according to an indictment.

Authorities said Aranda came face-to-face with one homeowner inside one of the homes. When police arrested her, she said she was in the neighborhood looking for house-cleaning jobs, according to court records.

On Feb. 20, Aranda was “seen in the 800 block of Chasefield Lane acting suspiciously near the entrance of a residence by members of the Crystal Lake Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit. She was taken into custody for an arrest warrant originating in Kane County,” according to a news release sent at the time of her arrest.

Reached after her sentencing hearing Tuesday, Aranda’s attorney said he had no comment on the case.

Shaw Media reporter Janelle Walker contributed to this report.