DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Glen Ellyn Chief of Police Philip Norton announced today that a Rockford cleaning woman has been charged with stealing more than $10,000 worth of jewelry from a client’s home. Frances Carter, age 44, of the block of 1300 Jonathan Avenue in Rockford, appeared in First Appearance Court this morning, Tuesday, September 2, 2025, charged with one count of Residential Burglary, a Class 1 Felony. The Court denied the State’s motion to detain Carter pre-trial and set conditions of release including no contact with the victims in this case.
A Glen Ellyn resident contacted the Glen Ellyn Police Department on Sunday, July 20, 2025 to report that jewelry, including a 14K white gold diamond ring, and a 14K yellow gold tennis diamond bracelet, and other items of jewelry, with an estimated value totaling approximately $11,325, had been stolen from her house sometime after October 11, 2024. An investigation into the thefts led authorities to Carter, who had allegedly stolen the jewelry while cleaning the woman’s home. Carter was taken into custody on Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2025, without incident.
“It is alleged that Ms. Carter betrayed the trust placed in her and used her position as a cleaning woman to gain access to her victim’s home, and once inside, stole thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry. While the benefits of hiring a cleaning service can be advantageous, such as freeing up time to spend with family, pursue a hobby or simply allowing you some extra free time to relax, you must remember that when you hire a cleaning service, you are allowing unsupervised people in your home. There are simple steps you can take however to protect yourself and your belongings before allowing people in your home such as getting referrals from family, friends or a neighbor, inquiring about the amount and type of insurance they carry and asking about a company’s background check and vetting process for their employees. Once you have a provider selected, you can further protect yourself by being present, at least for the first few cleanings, installing security cameras and securing your valuables. I thank the Glen Ellyn Police Department for their work on this case and for their continued efforts in protecting the citizens of Glen Ellyn as well as Assistant State’s Attorneys Sean Kinsella and Jennifer Nielsen for their work in securing charges against Ms. Carter.”
— DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin
“I’m very proud of our detectives whose diligent efforts led to the recovery of the victim’s property, which, in addition to the monetary value, had significant sentimental value,” Norton said. “I thank State’s Attorney Berlin and his team for their legal guidance on this case and for filing the appropriate charges.”
— Glen Ellyn Chief of Police Philip Norton
Carter’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 29, 2025, in front of Judge Brian Telander.
“Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
— DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office
THANKS FOR READING CARDINAL NEWS
Get updates from The Cardinal ALL NEWS FEEDS on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Page (become a fan of our page). The updates cover all posts and sub-category posts from The Cardinal — Arlingtoncardinal.com. See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor
