Elderly Couple's $50K In Cash Stolen At Gunpoint In Home Invasion

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A Chicago man is accused of stealing $50,000 from an elderly Arlington Heights couple during an armed home invasion robbery over the summer. Antonio Jones, 32, of the 1000 block of West 14th Street, was denied bail Wednesday after being charged with armed robbery and home invasion in connection with the May incident, according to the Arlington Heights Post.

He also was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver after police found 51 plastic baggies filled with heroin during his arrest Monday at his home. If convicted, Jones could face between six to 30 years in prison, and his next court date is Jan. 5.

According to prosecutors, Jones and another man wore masks when they allegedly broke in to the Brittany Drive home just before 11:30 p.m. May 17, the report stated. The couple — an 85-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman — were ordered on the floor at gunpoint, and the man was pistol-whipped while being asked about the location of a bag filled with $500,000, the report added.

The bag of money was found in the basement, and the two men escaped the house with it, the report stated. Despite the man's beating, Arlington Heights police told the Daily Herald no one was hurt in the incident.

The men allegedly were tipped to the bag of money by the couple's nephew who was living with them at the time, the Herald reports. Days before the home invastion, the nephew discussed the cash to Jones, who was allegedly the nephew's drug dealer, the report added.

After the nephew gave Jones's phone number to police, investigators began tracking the device, the Post reports. According to prosecutors, photos showing money bundles matching those in the bag were allegedly found on the phone, and Jones's girlfriend used cash to pay for a $29,000 BMW the day after the home invasion, the report added.

In denying bail for Jones during Wednesday's hearing, Judge Steven Goebel pointed to Jones's violent and extensive criminal history, the report stated. Jones has 10 previous convictions — five felonies, five misdemeanors — stemming from drug possession, aggravated battery of a police officer and other charges, the report stated. The second suspect in the incident has not been arrested or charged, the report added.

More via the Arlington Heights Post and the Daily Herald

Antonio Jones, 32 (Photo via the Cook County Sheriff's Office)