April 27--Tips from the public helped police find a West Side woman accused of burglarizing an elementary school and using the proceeds to go on a shopping spree earlier this month, police said.
Kizzie Cunningham, 37, of the 600 block of North Pine Avenue in the city's South Austin neighborhood, is charged with two counts of burglary, including burglary to a school, police said. Cunningham, who was also wanted on two warrants, is expected to appear in bond court Monday afternoon on the charges.
On April 1, Cunningham, along with a woman who has not been charged, is suspected of entering the Audubon School, 3500 N. Hoyne Ave. in the city's Roscoe Village neighborhood, under the pretense of enrolling a child, police said. Instead, they allegedly accessed two teachers' classrooms and took their wallets before going to the Jewel at 2940 N. Ashland Ave. and purchasing $145 worth of merchandise, police said.
They "continued their shopping spree with stolen cards at other locations,'' according to a community alert issued April 13 that included surveillance photos of one of the suspects, police said.
The pictures helped police to find Cunningham, who was arrested Sunday, after tips came in from the public.
But police are still looking for another woman who goes by the name of "Dawn,'' the alert said. She is a black woman in her 40s, about 5-foot-6, weighing 180 to 200 pounds. She has long brown hair and a dark leather jacket, the alert said. The women were seen driving a newer-model Ford Explorer.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 312-744-8263.
