Illinois man charged with burglary and vandalism of 13 churches

CHICAGO -- A Joliet man has been charged with breaking into at least 13 suburban churches and religious schools during a nine-month spree of burglary, vandalism and arson.

Jamie Pytell, 40, was charged with felony burglary, arson and criminal damage to property for the crimes in Cook and DuPage counties. He became a suspect when a witness described his car leaving one church, investigators said.

"This is a horrible series of events," DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett said. "Thankfully and hopefully, this string of crimes against places of worship has ended."

Crime lab tests found Pytell's fingerprints inside St. Julian's Catholic Church and Queen of the Rosary Catholic School, Elk Grove Village police Sgt. Michael Kirkpatrick said. Both institutions were vandalized in May.

The damage to Queen of the Rosary was estimated at $10,000.

"It's a big relief," said the Rev. Art Fagan, pastor of the church. "He really did a job on our computer system."

The charges also related to church break-ins in Addison, Arlington Heights, Itasca, Elmhurst, Roselle and Naperville.