An Essex man who spent more than a decade in prison for a series of break-ins in River Forest in the 1990s will return to prison this year for another burglary, police said.

Brian Deblasio, 41, was sentenced June 15 to 26 years in prison for taking an untold number of valuables from a home in the 900 block of Monroe Avenue during the village's 2008 Memorial Day Parade.

As parade floats rolled through the streets, Deblasio forced his way into the home, ransacked the residence and stole a number of items, police said.

After the break-in, Deblasio was involved in a traffic accident in the 700 block of William, then hopped into a cab and fled the area. He was later charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving without insurance, failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident and damaging village property, police said. 

Police later tracked Deblasio to a motel in Cicero, but the initial investigation into the residential burglary only resulted in drug charges.

The investigation into the break-in continued, authorities said, and police eventually arrested Deblasio in April 2009.

Deblasio was convicted in 1997 for a series of five burglaries in River Forest and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was released after serving a portion of that sentence before his most recent arrest, police said.