A Mount Prospect man has been arrested in connection with a home improvement scam targeting an elderly Park Ridge couple, police said.

Tony Miller, 56, of the 1700 block of Bonita Avenue, was charged with residential burglary, home invasion and aggravated battery to an elderly person following a reported “ruse entry” scam that occurred last month, Park Ridge police said.

According to police, two men approached a couple outside their home on the 200 block of South Rose Avenue on May 30, one of them offering to do repairs to their roof and driveway. While one of the men was speaking with the husband about driveway repairs, the 85-year-old female resident entered the home and was reportedly followed by the second man, whom police have identified as Miller.

Inside a bedroom, police said Miller stole $900 worth of jewelry and grabbed the woman by her wrists and pushed her to the floor when she encountered him. He and the other man then left the area in a white pickup truck, police said.

Park Ridge Deputy Police Chief Duane Mellema said police worked with a a ruse burglary unit of the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force to investigate possible suspects. The female resident then positively identified Miller from a photo lineup as the man who had been inside her home, Mellema said.

Bond for Miller was set at $200,000, and he remained in Cook County Jail custody Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. As of Thursday, the sheriff’s office website showed he remained in custody.

The jewelry reported stolen from the couple’s home has not been recovered, Mellema said.

jjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter: @Jen_Tribune

Source

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/park-ridge/news/ct-prh-ruse-burglary-arrest-tl-0621-story.html