Fairfax police arrested a jewelry theft suspect they said may be tied to organized crime.
Jan Parchewski, 39, of the Chicago area, was charged with burglary and grand larceny May 8.
There may be as many as three accomplices who have not been arrested in connection with at least four high-end jewelry burglary thefts in Fairfax County, police said.
The burglars appear to have targeted wealthier homes, police said.
Neighbors aren't surprised that thieves could be attracted to the area.
"You look at the population here, it's diverse, it's huge," said Mike Dimmick, whose neighbor's house in Reston was broken into earlier this month. "There's a lot of wealth and people take advantage of it."
Jewelry worth $8,000 was taken from the Reston home, but a security camera helped identify a suspect.
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Search warrants show a detective identified a suspect staying at a Sterling hotel. Documents allege the suspect is tied to an organized crime family in Chicago.
In a separate incident May 6, a McLean woman took her dog to the groomer. When she returned a few minutes later, two people tried to distract her from going into her home. One man asked her for the price of houses in the area, police said. Then a woman approached her and said she lost her dog. When the victim went inside, she found her jewelry missing.
Victims told police the suspects had thick, European accents. The burglaries took place in the daytime and the suspects are sophisticated, using two-way radios, authorities said.
"I'm glad that the person was arrested, and that the neighborhood can feel safer," said Debra Stoffer, another neighbor of a burglary victim.
Fairfax police are asking residents to secure jewelry collections. Police ask anyone with information to call 703-691-2131.
