A St. Louis woman accused of breaking into two homes in the Dutchtown neighborhood is being held without bond after police say she was spotted wearing a victim's clothing and had begun living inside one of the burglarized houses as if it were her own. Nakia L. Hoskin faces two counts of second-degree burglary, one count of felony stealing, and one count of first-degree property damage stemming from break-ins on Vermont Street and Idaho Avenue that occurred days apart in early August.
According to FOX 2, police responded to a home in the 5100 block of Vermont Street on August 4 after the homeowner reported that someone had broken into his house while he was out of town between July 31 and August 4. That same day, the homeowner told police he saw a woman standing in front of the house wearing his shirt and his daughter's pants. Police said Hoskin later admitted to entering the Vermont Street home.
Two days later, on August 6, police arrested Hoskin at a second location in the 4700 block of Idaho Avenue. Officers said the suspect had broken into the home by breaking a window and crawling through the opening, and that she had begun living in the house as if it were her own residence, per the same account. Police said Hoskin was found in possession of the homeowner's checkbook along with a large number of silver coins worth more than $750.
Felony Charges Carry Steep Potential Sentences
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has charged Hoskin with two counts of second-degree burglary, one count of stealing $750 or more, and one count of first-degree property damage. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 569.170, second-degree burglary is a Class D felony that can carry up to seven years in prison, according to JPLaw. The stealing charge, classified under Missouri Revised Statutes § 570.030, is also a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, as explained by Rose Legal Services.
The property damage count, filed under Missouri Revised Statutes § 569.100, applies when someone knowingly damages property valued above $750 and is generally treated as a Class E felony carrying up to four years in prison, per St. Louis Criminal Defense Lawyer. Combined, the four felony counts against Hoskin carry a potential sentencing exposure of up to 25 years. It's worth noting that the value of the silver coins and checkbook found on Hoskin likely factored into the felony stealing threshold, since Missouri law allows prosecutors to aggregate the value of stolen property from separate incidents to reach the $750 mark required for a felony charge, according to KC Defense Counsel Law Firm.
Break-Ins Occurred in St. Louis's Largest Neighborhood
Both burglaries took place in Dutchtown, per the probable cause statements cited in the case. Dutchtown is the most populous neighborhood in St. Louis, home to 15,356 residents and about 5.1% of the city's total population, according to 2020 U.S. Census data published by the City of St. Louis. The neighborhood also carries a residential vacancy rate of 12.1%, well above national norms, with housing stock made up largely of pre-1939 multi-family and single-family rental properties, according to NeighborhoodScout data.
City planning data shows Dutchtown holds the highest concentration of youth and immigrant residents among all St. Louis neighborhoods, along with a high share of zero-vehicle households, per the DutchtownSTL Blog. The neighborhood traces its roots to German immigrants who settled the area in the 1840s and 1850s, with its name derived from an English mispronunciation of the German word Deutsch, according to Photoflood Stl.
Case Follows Broader Citywide Drop in Property Crime
The Hoskin case comes as overall crime in St. Louis fell 16% in 2025 compared to 2024 and 28% compared to 2023, according to St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department CompStat data reported by KSDK. Burglary and felony theft were among the property crime categories that saw year-over-year declines citywide. A separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice found that reported robbery rates in St. Louis dropped 58% from 2018 through mid-2025, roughly double the average 30% decline recorded across 38 major American cities examined in that study.
Hoskin is set to appear in court to face charges for the two Dutchtown burglaries. She remains held without bond as the case proceeds. Dutchtown has seen a string of property and violent crime cases in recent years, including the 15-year sentencing of Lance Campbell for armed robbery in the neighborhood.
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