Local Man Arrested for Thursday Break-In

A 19-year-old Effingham resident was taken into custody early Friday morning in connection with a residential burglary reported Thursday afternoon.

Police took Alexander Ramos into custody about 4:15am regarding the break-in that was reported to authorities at 3:41pm Thursday.

The burglary occurred at an apartment on Hillside Drive sometime after 3pm. Responding officers found a rear window to the apartment broken, and a safe containing concert tickets and an undetermined amount of cash missing. A subsequent investigation turned up a possible suspect in the case.

Early Friday morning, Effingham police received a report of suspicious activity in Rollin Hills Subdivision. Officers gathered information, including a license plate number for a suspect vehicle. After determining Friday morning's activity was possibly related to the Thursday burglary, officers alerted other agencies, including Illinois State Police, of the information on the suspect vehicle. 

At about 4am Friday, a District 10 State Trooper observed the vehicle near Pesotum and conducted a traffic stop. 

Ramos was a passenger in the vehicle and was taken into custody for questioning on Thursday's burglary, then was taken to Effingham County Jail where he is being held on a charge of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony.

Effingham Police Chief Jeffrey Fuesting said the others in the car were not involved in the burglary, but were simply giving Ramos a ride. The chief said Ramos and the victim of the burglary are acquaintances.