Chilean national arrested in connection with Oakland County break-ins after Novi home invasion attempt
Vania Herrera Valdes
NOVI, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Chilean national who police say was not supposed to be in the United States is facing charges in connection with high-end home break-ins in Oakland County.
Vania Herrera Valdes was charged Wednesday with home invasion and resisting/obstructing police. According to police, Valdes has a criminal record in the U.S., and she is currently in the Oakland County Jail with a $100,000 bond.
According to Novi police, a man who lives on Equestrian Trail saw suspects trying to break into his home on his security cameras around 7:20 p.m. Monday. He called police, who already had officers patrolling in the area due to the recent crimes.
Police said officers saw a white van with an out-of-state license plate leaving the scene and tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled. Eventually, the driver pulled over and four people ran away. One of the suspects, Valdes, was caught, but the other three suspects got away.
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"But the problem is there are more teams coming in, and intelligence suggests over 100 teams just from Chile are doing these crimes across the country," he said.
According to police, Valdes provided a fake name, but investigators worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to figure out her real identity.
"This is a great example of our police and citizens working together to combat these criminal elements that continue to operate throughout the United States," said Erick Zinser, Novi's chief of police. "We will continue to investigate this crime working with our County, State and Federal partners. We continue to ask our community to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity in your neighborhoods."
Monday's attempted break-in is just the latest in a string of home invasions at high-end houses around the county. According to Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the crimes are all the same - the suspects break into houses, often use jammers to override security systems, and take money, expensive purses, and jewelry.
Authorities have said these suspects are mostly from Chile and are not legally in the U.S.
"We had some pretty good arrests and charges and took a number of teams off the street and out of commission," Bouchard said earlier this week. "But the problem is there are more teams coming in, and intelligence suggests over 100 teams just from Chile are doing these crimes across the country."
Anyone with information about break-ins in Novi is asked to contact police at 248-348-7100.