News

Actions

Suspect to be charged with Rockford-area home invasions

Posted at 12:31 AM, Aug 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-02 17:42:09-04

KENT COUNTY, Mich. -- Home invasion charges have been authorized for a man accused of breaking into at least 11 homes near Rockford.

Corey Vansuilichem in Kent County jail.

Corey VanSuilichem, 32, is facing three counts of first-degree home invasion: two from the Bostwick Lake area and one from Grandville. He's expected to be arraigned on those sometime next week.

He was charged in Julywith receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle. Police say he was caught on camera getting out of a stolen Cadillac Escalade at a convenience store. They say the Escalade was taken during one of the home invasions, then ditched at the Malone's Marathon gas station in Oakfield Township. According to court documents, gas station surveillance video shows VanSuilichem using a towel to wipe the vehicle of any finger prints or other evidence when he left it mid-July.

VanSuilichem was on probation for maintaining a drug house when he was arrested. He previously spent 10 years in prison for multiple home invasions.

Sgt. Joel Roon with the Kent County Sheriff's Department says there were 19 complaints made that he's connected to. He's only being charged with three because, from a sentencing perspective he says, there wouldn't be a difference.

"We can charge him with three or we could charge him with 19," Roon said. "It doesn't - in the long run, from a sentencing standpoint - make a huge difference."

VanSuilichem likely acted alone and "stealthy," Roon says.

“It does appear he was taking some measures to be incredibly stealthy: some of those included unscrewing motion sensor light bulbs. He would occasionally leave doors propped open so that they wouldn’t latch completely.”

Most of the homes near Rockford were broken into while the owners were home and asleep. Roon says he and the victimized neighborhoods can breathe a sigh of relief.

"The invasion of privacy that a family feels when their home is broken into is significant, that’s not lost on us at all. When we have the opportunity to say you can rest a little easier tonight, we consider that a privilege."