If 22 years in prison seems harsh for stealing a TV remote control, Eric Bramwell probably agrees—but, based on his past criminal history, authorities in Illinois say it's a well-deserved sentence. Per the Chicago Tribune, the 35-year-old Melrose Park man was handed his fate on Wednesday by DuPage County Judge Robert Miller after being found guilty in November for stealing a remote from a Wheaton apartment complex's common area. But prosecutors say other burglaries of other remotes—and actual TV sets—he committed in six suburbs dating back to 2014 were what allowed for the extended sentence, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "Mr. Bramwell's illegal activity and his history have finally caught up with him," said State's Attorney Robert Berlin.
What finally did Bramwell in: A glove was dropped during the August 1, 2015, remote disappearance, and the DNA from the glove matched with Bramwell's, whose records were in a database for convicted felons. At 17, Bramwell was nabbed by Franklin Park cops and admitted to being the "ringleader" in a series of home break-ins that netted him and his accomplices jewelry, power tools, and other items they could pawn. Bramwell—who received an additional six months in jail from Judge Miller in November for uttering profanities in court—will need to put in 11 years behind bars before he's up for parole. "Regardless of what was stolen, Mr. Bramwell repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law," said Berlin. (A Minnesota burglar forgot to log out of Facebook before he left the scene of the crime.)
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