In 2007 I was robbed 3 times. My neighbor was robbed, my dad was robbed and my city cop friend was robbed. All happened within a few months of one another and all robberies occured in the garage or carport and within a 6 block radius. I since installed a door chime on my garage door that rings in my bedroom and I installed a motion sensor light in the garage.
3 days ago at 2:00 AM the door chime went off and the garage light came on. I pulled on some pants and chased 2 intruders through backyards, up alleys for 5 blocks in the snow before I caught them. One of them broke loose and ran again but I was able to wrestle the other one down and held him until police came.
He was charged with criminal trespass and released on $300 cash bond.
The same night 3 men broke into a house in a town 7 miles away. The owner awoke and yelled which cause the 3 men to run. He called police and they caught the 3 men several blocks away. They were all charged with residential burglary and are being held on $5000 cash bond.
Neither the 2 men I chased down nor the 3 men caught in the other city were able to get away with any items.
How is it that I can physically catch two intruders who broke into my garage with the intent to steal and they only get charged with criminal trespass and the 3 men who did a similar thing 7 miles away get the more heafty charge of residential burglary? Who decides what charges will be filed, the police or the state's attorney?

