Cops: Google Maps Helped Burglar Case Homes

So you want to rob some houses, but you’re not sure where to start? Well, Samuel A. Watson came up with the idea to use Google Maps, he admits to Chicago police. Watson, suspected of breaking into as many as nine homes since March, “said he Googled ‘expensive homes along highways,’ and Indian Head Park and Burr Ridge came up,” says an officer. “He used the satellite view on those homes where you can see 360 degrees."

Watson, 33, was arrested Friday after a resident of a home that was burgled July 18 identified him in a lineup. Watson allegedly broke in and grabbed a few things before finding himself face-to-face with the resident, who had been asleep when he entered. All in all, the suspected thief allegedly nabbed about $100,000 in jewelry and electronics, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. (More burglar stories.)