Man broke into woman’s Joliet residence with an ax: cops

A man who broke into a woman’s home in Joliet with an ax was arrested in California and taken to the Will County jail, police said.

The arrest of Allen Gillaspie, 37, of Marysville, Washington, stemmed from an incident on Feb. 5 where officers responded to a report of a man wielding an ax at a residence in the 3500 block of Pandola Avenue, according to Joliet police.

The officers arrived and determined that a woman saw a man pull his car into her driveway, police said. The man was later identified as Gillaspie.

Gillaspie walked to the rear of the home while carrying an ax, police said.

“He approached the rear glass sliding door at which time Gillaspie shattered the glass door with the ax and entered the home. The resident then fled to a neighbor’s home and called 911,” police said.

Gillaspie fled the area in a vehicle before the officers arrived, police said. The officers determined that Gillaspie’s vehicle had a Washington state registration.

On Feb. 19, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of home invasion, residential burglary, criminal trespass to a residence, criminal damage to property, possession of burglary tools and aggravated assault against Gillaspie.

Judge Fred Harvey signed a warrant for Gillaspie’s arrest that carried a $500,000 bond.

The warrant said Gillaspie “suffers from PTSD and depression.”

On March 4, Gillaspie was taken into custody in Santa Barbara, California and extradited to Will County on Saturday.

“The Joliet Police Department wishes to extend our gratitude to the Santa Barbara Police Department, for their assistance in locating and placing Mr. Gillaspie into custody,” Joliet Police Chief Dawn Malec said in a statement.

On Monday, Gillaspie was appointed a Will County assistant public defender and a judge ordered his bond to remain at $500,000.