Man charged with Frankfort apartment break-in

A man was arrested in connection with an apartment break-in that occurred on February in Frankfort, records show.

Brian Rudnicki, 25, of Frankfort faces charges of felony burglary and criminal trespass to a residence in the 300 block of North Maple Street.

The criminal complaint alleged he broke into a woman’s apartment with intent to commit theft.

Rudnicki is still contending with charges that alleged he impersonated a police officer on Feb. 21 in New Lenox. He reportedly pulled over a motorist during a road rage incident and pretended to be an officer, New Lenox police said.

On Feb. 23, officers responded to a burglary in progress at an apartment complex on North Maple Street, Frankfort police said in a news release. A woman heard “noises near her sliding patio door and observed unknown subjects standing outside the door.”

“One subject then broke the glass to the patio door and the subjects made entry into the apartment. The victim was able to flee unharmed and dialed 911,” police said.

Officers responded within moments but the suspects fled and were not located, police said. Frankfort officers and detectives commenced an investigation that led to charges against Rudnicki, according to police.

On Tuesday, Judge Fred Harvey signed a $150,000 warrant for Rudnicki’s arrest. Rudnicki was arrested the next day and remains in the Will County jail as of Friday.

The woman in the case petitioned for a protective order against Rudnicki. She claimed he kept leaving her inappropriate notes. She said she heard two men walk up to her sliding glass patio door.

“They tapped on the door and this is when I opened the curtain. I saw two men and they started using what I think was a hammer to try and break in,” the woman said in her petition.

After one of them shattered a window, she ran out the front door and “locked it behind me to slow them down,” the petition said.

Rudnicki’s previous arrest by New Lenox police stemmed from a Feb. 21 incident where he was accused of pulling over a motorist using red and blue lights from the front driver’s window of his car, police reports said.

The motorist claimed a man identified by police as Rudnicki jumped out of the vehicle and yelled, “Who the (expletive) do you think you are? This is who the (expletive) I am!” and showed him badges on his shirt and belt buckle.

The badges did not look real to the motorist, who told his wife to get Rudnicki’s license plate number, police reports said. When that happened, Rudnicki fled the scene, reports said.