Motor home break-ins in Crystal Lake led to the arrest of two young McHenry County men Thursday by the Crystal Lake Police.

The motor homes were stored at the 24 House Storage facility on Route 31.

The two have been linked to similar motor home break-ins at the self-storage unit on Pyott Road near the Lake in the Hills Airport. There the fence to the facility was cut, while in Crystal Lake’s, those arrested had the access code.

One of the vandals even took a dump in one of the motor homes there. It will be interesting to see if that brilliant burglar’s DNA matches that of either the Fox River Grove and Cary young man arrested by Crystal Lake Police.

The Crystal Lake Police press release follows:

Daniel A. Morrison of Fox River Grove

Nikola A. Menektchiev of Cary

Since March 5, 2010, Crystal Lake Police have been investigating a series of burglaries at 24 Hour Storage, which is located at 8405 S. Route 31.

On Thursday, April 22, 2010, at approximately 02:10 a.m. Crystal Lake Police apprehended Daniel A. Morrison (m/w dob. 3/29/90 of 519 Algonquin Rd., Fox River Grove) and Nikola A. Menektchiev (m/w d.o.b. 5/14/91 of 844 Crabtree Lane, Cary, Il.) at 24 Hour Storage.

Both subjects were observed exiting a motor home with burglary proceeds in their hands at the time of the arrest.

Upon further investigation it was determined that the two subjects may have entered as many as 14 motor homes by force, causing several thousand dollars in damage.

Investigators were able to determine that the subjects possessed the security code to the storage yard and accessed the property by driving through the front entrance of the business in Menektchiev’s vehicle.

Evidence recovered during the investigation indicates that the offenders had burglarized the storage facility on two prior occasions at which time they entered numerous motor homes by force, causing extensive damage.

It was also discovered that both subjects were responsible for burglarizing a storage facility in Lake in The Hills on April 7, 2010 (burglarizing a series of motor homes).

Further, they have been linked to as many as 65 motor vehicles burglaries in or around the Crystal Lake area.

Both Morrison and Menektchiev were subsequently charged each with

• 4 counts of Burglary of a Motor Home (Class 2 Felony),
• 1 count of Possession of Burglary Tools (Class 4 Felony),
• 3 counts of Theft under $300.00 (Class A Misdemeanor),
• 6 counts of Criminal Damage to Property Over $300.00 (Class 4 Felony).

This case remains under investigation and will be reviewed for additional charges by the McHenry County State’s Attorney Office.