A Brookfield man with an extensive criminal record who was arrested by La Grange police this past summer after pointing a loaded gun at a woman and two men outside a bar one block west of the village limits will be spending the next seven years behind bars.
Stanley Wisniowicz, 47, who was on parole from serving a 2-year sentence in state prison when he was charged with numerous felonies in connection with the Aug. 4 altercation outside of Brixie's in neighboring Brookfield, was sentenced in mid-November, according to the Cook County State's Attorneys Office.
The incident began at about 2:20 a.m. that day when Wisniowicz said something to the 27-year-old Hanover Park woman as she boarded a motorcycle driven by one of the men. After a verbal altercation over what one Brookfield police officer called "nothing" much, the offender pulled out at Smith & Wesson .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and aimed it at the three.
Shortly thereafter, he ran a block and a half west to the Citgo/7-Eleven at East and Ogden avenues, after dumping the gun in some bushes by the nearby abandoned Moose Lodge.
After Wisniowicz was arrested by La Grange police and turned over to Brookfield detectives, a police dog from Wood Dale discovered the weapon, which had six bullets in the clip and one in the chamber. The gun had been stolen from a Brookfield home just two weeks earlier.
Wisniowicz, originally charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possession of stolen firearms, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, possession without a Firearm Owners Identification card and possession of ammunition without a FOID card, was sentenced after entering a guilty plea on just two felony charges: being an armed habitual criminal and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Held on a half-million-dollar bond since his arrest, Wisniowicz was just released from prison six months earlier. He was convicted in 2001 on three counts of residential burglary and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was convicted on similar charges in 1987 and 1997. His first convicted at the age of 23 for an attempted burglary in 1986.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
MAJOR CRIME TAKES A HOLIDAY
With the exception of a few vehicle burglaries and thefts, not much major crime was reported these past few weeks around town. Here are a sampling of police reports culled from the blotter this past week.
Crime of the month?
A $280 piece of police forensics equipment was reported stolen from the Park District of La Grange recreation center, 536 East Ave., at 4:14 p.m. Nov. 6 -- despite the fact the facility was filled with numerous Cook County Sheriff's Police officers attending a forensics training academy in conjunction with Louisiana State University that week.
Break-ins, thefts
Those burglaries included a reported theft from a vehicle in the 1100 block of Arlington Street in the overnight hours of Nov. 16-17; a reported theft of $51.74 worth of gasoline from Shell, 4701 S. Gilbert Ave., at 1:40 p.m. Nov. 16 by a blonde-haired white woman in her 40s wearing glasses and driving a beige minivan who drove off after having her credit card denied; the theft of a copper gutter from the west side of St. Francis Xavier Church, 124 N. Spring Ave., reported shortly before noon Nov. 12; the theft of a green Raleigh mountain bike with gold lettering on the frame from the 100 block of North Catherine Avenue in the overnight hours of Nov. 10; a theft of random items from a home in the 300 block of West Calendar Avenue reported at 5 p.m. Nov. 7; the theft of a cell phone charger valued at $9.50 from a green Ford Explorer in the 100 block of South Waiola Avenue in the overnight hours of Nov. 5 and the theft of a bicycle from a garage in the 300 block of South Waiola Avenue, reported shortly before 3 p.m. Nov. 2.
In addition, an attempted burglary was reported in Denning Park in the 4900 block of Willow Springs Road at 8:44 a.m. Nov. 15, when an employee discovered that someone gained entry to a Park District of La Grange building. A group of kids were reported in the park after hours, it was reported to police at 10:10 p.m. Nov. 14. The kids, however, could not be located by responding officers.
A car stolen previously reported stolen from La Grange was reported recovered by Summit police shortly after 5 p.m. Nov. 16.
Gang warfare?
Perhaps the most serious would-be crime came from a tipster regarding suspicious activity near Cossitt and Stone avenues in the daylight hours of Nov. 17. Seems a group of six male Hispanics were seen walking toward the park on Stone from Cossitt a little after 3 p.m. -- one wearing a black jacket with the word "echo" on it who was carrying a brick in his hand and another with a light grey hoodie and carrying a lead pipe -- looking as though they might fight. They were never located by police.
Police also investigated the report of a Northlake man who said he was threatened by a man wielding a crowbar following a traffic altercation in Brookfield shortly before 12:30 p.m. Nov. 13. The victim, a passenger in a car being driven by a 16-year-old girl, said the altercation began when the driver of a blue Volkswagen believed the driver of the victim cut him off and pulled out the crowbar at him. The alleged offender, identified through his license plate as a 23-year-old La Grange Highlands resident, then took off down eastbound Burlington Avenue to 6th Avenue and was last seen driving east on Harris Avenue. The alleged offender was not home, but out driving his car when police tracked down his address.
DUI warrant
Robert Helgar, 29, of Berwyn, received two citations for having an outstanding warrant for a drunk driving charge out of DeKalb County after police made a traffic stop on him at 50th Street and La Grange Road shortly after 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17.
Illegal crossing
Police cited 17-year-old Christopher Beck with an ordinance ticket after he was caught illegally crossing the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad tracks where there is no grade crossing just west of East Avenue at Maple Avenue at 11:50 p.m. Nov. 12. The spot where he crossed is near the Park District of La Grange recreation center.
Missing children
The 12-year-old daughter of a police officer reported missing shortly after 9 a.m. Nov. 17 after being last seen northbound on Bluff Avenue near 47th Street. Police found her soon afterward several blocks north at Tilden and Franklin avenues.
A warm place
A 65-year-old homeless woman was escorted out of a gas station restroom she had refused to leave in the 100 block of North La Grange Road at 5:55 p.m. Nov. 16.
Smells like fire
It used to be the case not too long ago that the smell of burning leaves at the curbside or side of the road in some local communities did little more than signal the arrival of autumn in some local communities, but nowadays the familiar odor causes some folks to call 911. Such was the case of not one, but two calls alerting authorities to dispatch the La Grange Fire Department to the corner of Ogden and Madison avenues in the early morning in the ours of Nov. 18. The first call came in at 12:48 a.m. and prompted firefighters to extinguish the fire, possibly caused by a car parked on top of them. Then, at 5:20 a.m., the leaves were found to be on fire again and were put out again, this time after a car with a hot engine was parked on top of them.
Firefighters found themselves on a unique call at 7:50 a.m. Nov. 16 when a Lyons Township High School senior, 17-year-old Morris Beck, needed assistance with a ring stuck on his finger. They were called back to the school at 11:37 a.m. that day to transport 16-year-old Matt Finnegan to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital when he suffered a bloody nose after falling down a set of stairs.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Nov. 13, paramedics rushed a 15-month-old girl, Sofia Vega, to the hospital after she was reported choking in a home in the 900 block of South 7th Avenue. And on Nov. 11, a Brookfield boy told police he was beat up by another boy that day at the LT North campus, 100 W. Cossitt Ave.
An employee of CEP Inc., 4903 S. Gilbert Ave., reported suffering a headache and reported a possible gas leak at 9:20 a.m. Nov. 11. The odor was later discovered to be an area sewer problem.
And at 2:50 p.m. Nov. 1, a 2-year-old boy was rushed to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital after he took two 25-milligram tablets of Matoprolol in a home in the 100 block of Malden Avenue.
Crime of the month?
A $280 piece of police forensics equipment was reported stolen from the Park District of La Grange recreation center, 536 East Ave., at 4:14 p.m. Nov. 6 -- despite the fact the facility was filled with numerous Cook County Sheriff's Police officers attending a forensics training academy in conjunction with Louisiana State University that week.
Break-ins, thefts
Those burglaries included a reported theft from a vehicle in the 1100 block of Arlington Street in the overnight hours of Nov. 16-17; a reported theft of $51.74 worth of gasoline from Shell, 4701 S. Gilbert Ave., at 1:40 p.m. Nov. 16 by a blonde-haired white woman in her 40s wearing glasses and driving a beige minivan who drove off after having her credit card denied; the theft of a copper gutter from the west side of St. Francis Xavier Church, 124 N. Spring Ave., reported shortly before noon Nov. 12; the theft of a green Raleigh mountain bike with gold lettering on the frame from the 100 block of North Catherine Avenue in the overnight hours of Nov. 10; a theft of random items from a home in the 300 block of West Calendar Avenue reported at 5 p.m. Nov. 7; the theft of a cell phone charger valued at $9.50 from a green Ford Explorer in the 100 block of South Waiola Avenue in the overnight hours of Nov. 5 and the theft of a bicycle from a garage in the 300 block of South Waiola Avenue, reported shortly before 3 p.m. Nov. 2.
In addition, an attempted burglary was reported in Denning Park in the 4900 block of Willow Springs Road at 8:44 a.m. Nov. 15, when an employee discovered that someone gained entry to a Park District of La Grange building. A group of kids were reported in the park after hours, it was reported to police at 10:10 p.m. Nov. 14. The kids, however, could not be located by responding officers.
A car stolen previously reported stolen from La Grange was reported recovered by Summit police shortly after 5 p.m. Nov. 16.
Gang warfare?
Perhaps the most serious would-be crime came from a tipster regarding suspicious activity near Cossitt and Stone avenues in the daylight hours of Nov. 17. Seems a group of six male Hispanics were seen walking toward the park on Stone from Cossitt a little after 3 p.m. -- one wearing a black jacket with the word "echo" on it who was carrying a brick in his hand and another with a light grey hoodie and carrying a lead pipe -- looking as though they might fight. They were never located by police.
Police also investigated the report of a Northlake man who said he was threatened by a man wielding a crowbar following a traffic altercation in Brookfield shortly before 12:30 p.m. Nov. 13. The victim, a passenger in a car being driven by a 16-year-old girl, said the altercation began when the driver of a blue Volkswagen believed the driver of the victim cut him off and pulled out the crowbar at him. The alleged offender, identified through his license plate as a 23-year-old La Grange Highlands resident, then took off down eastbound Burlington Avenue to 6th Avenue and was last seen driving east on Harris Avenue. The alleged offender was not home, but out driving his car when police tracked down his address.
DUI warrant
Robert Helgar, 29, of Berwyn, received two citations for having an outstanding warrant for a drunk driving charge out of DeKalb County after police made a traffic stop on him at 50th Street and La Grange Road shortly after 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17.
Illegal crossing
Police cited 17-year-old Christopher Beck with an ordinance ticket after he was caught illegally crossing the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad tracks where there is no grade crossing just west of East Avenue at Maple Avenue at 11:50 p.m. Nov. 12. The spot where he crossed is near the Park District of La Grange recreation center.
Missing children
The 12-year-old daughter of a police officer reported missing shortly after 9 a.m. Nov. 17 after being last seen northbound on Bluff Avenue near 47th Street. Police found her soon afterward several blocks north at Tilden and Franklin avenues.
Ten days earlier, a 14-year-old bipolar Brookfield boy was reported as a missing habitual runaway after his mother lost sight of him down the block from the Police Department. He was not found at a Brookfield party he was believed to have attended or in Memorial Park in La Grange Park where he may have been visiting.
A white man with a bandage on his head was reported to have walked out of Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, 5101 S. Willow Springs Road, shortly before 8 a.m. Nov. 5. The 911 caller said the patient appeared confused and was last seen headed northbound on Willow Springs Road, but police could not locate the man.A warm place
A 65-year-old homeless woman was escorted out of a gas station restroom she had refused to leave in the 100 block of North La Grange Road at 5:55 p.m. Nov. 16.
Smells like fire
It used to be the case not too long ago that the smell of burning leaves at the curbside or side of the road in some local communities did little more than signal the arrival of autumn in some local communities, but nowadays the familiar odor causes some folks to call 911. Such was the case of not one, but two calls alerting authorities to dispatch the La Grange Fire Department to the corner of Ogden and Madison avenues in the early morning in the ours of Nov. 18. The first call came in at 12:48 a.m. and prompted firefighters to extinguish the fire, possibly caused by a car parked on top of them. Then, at 5:20 a.m., the leaves were found to be on fire again and were put out again, this time after a car with a hot engine was parked on top of them.
Firefighters found themselves on a unique call at 7:50 a.m. Nov. 16 when a Lyons Township High School senior, 17-year-old Morris Beck, needed assistance with a ring stuck on his finger. They were called back to the school at 11:37 a.m. that day to transport 16-year-old Matt Finnegan to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital when he suffered a bloody nose after falling down a set of stairs.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Nov. 13, paramedics rushed a 15-month-old girl, Sofia Vega, to the hospital after she was reported choking in a home in the 900 block of South 7th Avenue. And on Nov. 11, a Brookfield boy told police he was beat up by another boy that day at the LT North campus, 100 W. Cossitt Ave.
An employee of CEP Inc., 4903 S. Gilbert Ave., reported suffering a headache and reported a possible gas leak at 9:20 a.m. Nov. 11. The odor was later discovered to be an area sewer problem.
And at 2:50 p.m. Nov. 1, a 2-year-old boy was rushed to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital after he took two 25-milligram tablets of Matoprolol in a home in the 100 block of Malden Avenue.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Gang "Floods" Area to Burglarize Homes
The following is an update, issued by Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, on the recent rash of burglaries in the area.
This week, a street gang, the Sin City Boys, who mainly operate on the West side of Chicago , but has affiliations in Berwyn/Cicero, had actively sent out their juvenile members to commit residential burglaries and home invasions during the daytime hours in the West Suburban area. On Monday and Tuesday, the gang leadership sent out as many as 30 juveniles to commit crimes in Riverside , Brookfield , Forest Park , River Forest , Western Springs, and Downers Grove .
The WEDGE (gang & drug) unit received intelligence on this activity and teamed up with MCAT to begin surveillance and get saturated patrols out early Monday morning in the above mentioned communities. Monday morning and early afternoon, our Detective Sergeant, Dave Krull, heard a radio broadcast of a burglary in progress. Det. Krull responded in plain clothes and saw two of the three subjects hiding behind a garage in Lyons . Krull, along with fellow MCAT members, took up foot pursuit and after several minutes took all 3 juvenile gang members into custody in Lyons . These three suspects had parked a stolen motor vehicle (found containing other stolen property from burglaries) about a block from the burglary scene; a vehicle that had been reported stolen over the weekend in Lyons .
While processing those juveniles in Lyons , another call went out for LaGrange Park , North Riverside, and River Forest . Sgt. Krull was deployed as part of MCAT into the area. He and the other three MCAT members spotted the vehicle that had been reported by one of the victims as being involved in the burglary in Berwyn . On (Madison Avenue in Forest Park , they initiated a traffic stop with assistance from Forest Park . In that vehicle, three adult male Sin City Boys gang members were arrested and 7 handguns were discovered along with proceeds from burglaries. Those suspects were taken into custody and brought to Berwyn (where the call originated). During investigation, Berwyn detectives were able to receive consent to search and obtained a search warrant for 2 residences in Berwyn (where gang members were living or storing property). Officers executed the warrants and recovered 1.8 million dollars street value narcotics, mainly cocaine, and recovered 10 more weapons, among them a MAC10 pistol machine gun. In addition, two of the three Sin City Boys are believed to be involved in an unsolved homicide in Berwyn and those individuals are still being investigated as of today. We brought in the DEA and the FBI on this large scale case.
The Riverside burglary was on the 3600 block of Harlem and rare coins stolen. There are coins that are still unidentified in the property room at Berwyn PD. Riverside will likely be indicting the arrested gang members on that burglary, but currently we are awaiting results from some physical and DNA evidence (blood) as their MO was to break windows to get obtain entry into the residences.
I would like you to know that some outstanding work was done by Detective Sgt. Krull and by Sgt. Frank Pontrelli (who performed the evidence work in the case). Krull has worked non-stop, not only as the Riverside Detective, but also on the MCAT task force. Krull was directly involved in the arrest of all 6 suspects, and in Lyons , in the apprehension of suspects.
Due to this occurrence, I redirected patrol operations and fully staffed day shift to the extent possible. I put administrative personnel in uniform out on the street to saturate our village with marked patrol units and I believe it was a success. Detective Krull found that when speaking with the suspects in Lyons , they had come to Riverside first and happened to see a Riverside Police squad on routine patrol on Olmsted Road and they decided to go elsewhere, which was when they headed for Lyons . They also said that they knew many of the Riverside homes had alarms and they did not want to deal with those.
In closing, this is the first time in my 25 year career that I have ever heard of gang members admitting flooding a specific area with a number of their members to commit burglaries, in attempt to simply overload departments and confuse police agencies by their activity generating so many calls and reports coming in to department simultaneously.
I think this speaks volumes about the task forces we are involved in; MCAT, NIPAS and WESTAF. The time, expense and manpower we put in on these teams is well worth it, when you consider the assistance and information that we get from other agencies in return when this type of crime occurs.
If you have any questions, please call me.
Thomas Weitzel
Chief of Police
Riverside Police Department
31 Riverside Road
Riverside , IL 60546
708-447-2127
tweitzel@riverside.il.us
This week, a street gang, the Sin City Boys, who mainly operate on the West side of Chicago , but has affiliations in Berwyn/Cicero, had actively sent out their juvenile members to commit residential burglaries and home invasions during the daytime hours in the West Suburban area. On Monday and Tuesday, the gang leadership sent out as many as 30 juveniles to commit crimes in Riverside , Brookfield , Forest Park , River Forest , Western Springs, and Downers Grove .
The WEDGE (gang & drug) unit received intelligence on this activity and teamed up with MCAT to begin surveillance and get saturated patrols out early Monday morning in the above mentioned communities. Monday morning and early afternoon, our Detective Sergeant, Dave Krull, heard a radio broadcast of a burglary in progress. Det. Krull responded in plain clothes and saw two of the three subjects hiding behind a garage in Lyons . Krull, along with fellow MCAT members, took up foot pursuit and after several minutes took all 3 juvenile gang members into custody in Lyons . These three suspects had parked a stolen motor vehicle (found containing other stolen property from burglaries) about a block from the burglary scene; a vehicle that had been reported stolen over the weekend in Lyons .
While processing those juveniles in Lyons , another call went out for LaGrange Park , North Riverside, and River Forest . Sgt. Krull was deployed as part of MCAT into the area. He and the other three MCAT members spotted the vehicle that had been reported by one of the victims as being involved in the burglary in Berwyn . On (Madison Avenue in Forest Park , they initiated a traffic stop with assistance from Forest Park . In that vehicle, three adult male Sin City Boys gang members were arrested and 7 handguns were discovered along with proceeds from burglaries. Those suspects were taken into custody and brought to Berwyn (where the call originated). During investigation, Berwyn detectives were able to receive consent to search and obtained a search warrant for 2 residences in Berwyn (where gang members were living or storing property). Officers executed the warrants and recovered 1.8 million dollars street value narcotics, mainly cocaine, and recovered 10 more weapons, among them a MAC10 pistol machine gun. In addition, two of the three Sin City Boys are believed to be involved in an unsolved homicide in Berwyn and those individuals are still being investigated as of today. We brought in the DEA and the FBI on this large scale case.
The Riverside burglary was on the 3600 block of Harlem and rare coins stolen. There are coins that are still unidentified in the property room at Berwyn PD. Riverside will likely be indicting the arrested gang members on that burglary, but currently we are awaiting results from some physical and DNA evidence (blood) as their MO was to break windows to get obtain entry into the residences.
I would like you to know that some outstanding work was done by Detective Sgt. Krull and by Sgt. Frank Pontrelli (who performed the evidence work in the case). Krull has worked non-stop, not only as the Riverside Detective, but also on the MCAT task force. Krull was directly involved in the arrest of all 6 suspects, and in Lyons , in the apprehension of suspects.
Due to this occurrence, I redirected patrol operations and fully staffed day shift to the extent possible. I put administrative personnel in uniform out on the street to saturate our village with marked patrol units and I believe it was a success. Detective Krull found that when speaking with the suspects in Lyons , they had come to Riverside first and happened to see a Riverside Police squad on routine patrol on Olmsted Road and they decided to go elsewhere, which was when they headed for Lyons . They also said that they knew many of the Riverside homes had alarms and they did not want to deal with those.
In closing, this is the first time in my 25 year career that I have ever heard of gang members admitting flooding a specific area with a number of their members to commit burglaries, in attempt to simply overload departments and confuse police agencies by their activity generating so many calls and reports coming in to department simultaneously.
I think this speaks volumes about the task forces we are involved in; MCAT, NIPAS and WESTAF. The time, expense and manpower we put in on these teams is well worth it, when you consider the assistance and information that we get from other agencies in return when this type of crime occurs.
If you have any questions, please call me.
Thomas Weitzel
Chief of Police
Riverside Police Department
31 Riverside Road
Riverside , IL 60546
708-447-2127
tweitzel@riverside.il.us
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
COPS CRACKING HOME BURGLARIES
Four people have been arrested over the past month by the La Grange police in connection with a series of residential burglaries.
As a result, more than 100 pieces of property have been recovered.
In each case, arrests were made because of observant residents who called in reports of a suspicious person, vehicle, noise or activity -- which we reported on in this very space last week, encouraging residents to continue to call 911 whenever they suspect anything is awry.
Now, the village is reminding you as well.
The increase in home burglaries in La Grange since June or July is not limited to La Grange, stated Police Chief Michael Holub, whose investigators have not only worked with their peers in neighboring communities to crack similar or related crimes there, but are aware of dozens of burglaries in such neighboring communities as Brookfield, La Grange Park and Western Springs.
Although no residential burglaries occurred in La Grange this week, its investigators did assist Brookfield police in a break-in within the 4000 block of Forest Avenue reported at 11:35 a.m. Oct. 26.
A prime example of resident vigilance occurred earlier this week, for instance, on Oct. 26, when a South Madison Avenue homeowner witnessed a silver vehicle with four men of possibly Indian descent attempting to break into vehicles near Cossitt and Madison avenues.
Although police did not find any vehicles damaged or disturbed when they arrived, when the seeming offenders were seen, they took off down westbound 47th Street from Madison at a high rate of speed.
One of the men sported a full beard and the vehicle had heavy damage on its driver's side.
So, while nobody was busted that time, calling 911 quickly and with as accurate as possible descriptions of suspicious persons or vehicles is the best decision someone can make.
Body found
Although certainly not a burglary, another alert 911 caller told police they found a white woman with blonde hair and wearing a brown jacket, blue jeans and white shoes laying in the dirt at Tilden and Calendar avenues at about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27. Although further details of the report have not yet been confirmed, the caller indicated the woman was shaking and still breathing, but could not be revived.
On a lighter note, La Grange police were alerted to a suspicious white man walking down the 1200 block of South Brainard Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27. The man, with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing dark clothing and carrying paperwork, appeared by a passerby to be highly intoxicated. The case was turned over to the proper jurisdiction, the Countryside PD.
Burglaries, thefts and vandalism
An unidentified piece of equipment was discovered stolen from the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., the library director reported to police at 11:27 a.m. Oct. 26.
An unlocked vehicle was broken into as it was parked at the North campus of Lyons Township High School, it was reported at 6:13 p.m. Oct. 27.
A purse was reported stolen from a vehicle parked at Park and Cossitt avenues at about 9:15 p.m., while the vehicle owner's son was at school.
Eek! A large spider valued at $30 was reported stolen from the front porch of a home in the 100 block of South 8th Avenue. The report was filed with police at 10:05 a.m. Oct. 27.
A customer of John's Auto Body, 26 E. Plainfield Road, alleged at 6:24 p.m. Oct. 26 that several items were stolen from a truck they were having repaired at the shop the prior week, even though the vehicle sat unlocked on a Chicago street for a day before it was towed from where it had been involved in an an accident and then towed to La Grange from there. Although the truck owner told police they believed the theft took place here, police advised the owner to file a report with Chicago police.
A vehicle was reported damaged Oct. 25 as it was parked in the 100 block of North Peck Avenue.
A light post in front of Anna's Hallmark, 10 W. Burlington Ave., was vandalized with "non gang-related" Halloween graffiti, it was reported at 9:21 a.m. Oct. 26.
A portable toilet in a driveway in the 900 block of South Spring Avenue had been dumped over twice since Oct. 23, a resident reported to police at 4:55 p.m. Oct. 25.
People crimes and cases
A woman driving a tan Oldsmobile registered in Brookfield requested a special watch due to a threat she received in the way of text messages on her cell phone, but then refused to provide any other information besides her first name or wait for an officer to arrive before she drove off. Police were unable to locate the woman, who said she works at a business in the 300 block of Washington Avenue.
The superintendent's administrative assistant in School District 105 was treated for a knee injury at Adventist La Grange Hospital after she fell on school grounds at 1001 S. Spring Ave. about 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26. A 911 call alerted paramedics to the accident involving Denise Struve, 57, of Hodgkins, after it was believed she may have broken a kneecap.
Medical assistance was refused by the mother of an 11-year-old La Grange boy who was reported jumped by two male blacks as he left the La Grange Community Center at Lincoln and Washington avenues at around 3 p.m. Oct. 25.
An African-American man was reported to be sleeping in the La Grange Post Office, 121 W. Hillgrove Ave. at 10:15 p.m. Oct. 25, but police found a 44-year-old woman asleep there before sending her on her way.
Fire calls
La Grange firefighters responded to a report of an interior gas leak at a home in the 700 block of South Spring Avenue just before 8:30 a.m. Oct. 26.
As a result, more than 100 pieces of property have been recovered.
In each case, arrests were made because of observant residents who called in reports of a suspicious person, vehicle, noise or activity -- which we reported on in this very space last week, encouraging residents to continue to call 911 whenever they suspect anything is awry.
Now, the village is reminding you as well.
The increase in home burglaries in La Grange since June or July is not limited to La Grange, stated Police Chief Michael Holub, whose investigators have not only worked with their peers in neighboring communities to crack similar or related crimes there, but are aware of dozens of burglaries in such neighboring communities as Brookfield, La Grange Park and Western Springs.
Although no residential burglaries occurred in La Grange this week, its investigators did assist Brookfield police in a break-in within the 4000 block of Forest Avenue reported at 11:35 a.m. Oct. 26.
A prime example of resident vigilance occurred earlier this week, for instance, on Oct. 26, when a South Madison Avenue homeowner witnessed a silver vehicle with four men of possibly Indian descent attempting to break into vehicles near Cossitt and Madison avenues.
Although police did not find any vehicles damaged or disturbed when they arrived, when the seeming offenders were seen, they took off down westbound 47th Street from Madison at a high rate of speed.
One of the men sported a full beard and the vehicle had heavy damage on its driver's side.
So, while nobody was busted that time, calling 911 quickly and with as accurate as possible descriptions of suspicious persons or vehicles is the best decision someone can make.
Body found
Although certainly not a burglary, another alert 911 caller told police they found a white woman with blonde hair and wearing a brown jacket, blue jeans and white shoes laying in the dirt at Tilden and Calendar avenues at about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27. Although further details of the report have not yet been confirmed, the caller indicated the woman was shaking and still breathing, but could not be revived.
On a lighter note, La Grange police were alerted to a suspicious white man walking down the 1200 block of South Brainard Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27. The man, with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing dark clothing and carrying paperwork, appeared by a passerby to be highly intoxicated. The case was turned over to the proper jurisdiction, the Countryside PD.
Burglaries, thefts and vandalism
An unidentified piece of equipment was discovered stolen from the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., the library director reported to police at 11:27 a.m. Oct. 26.
An unlocked vehicle was broken into as it was parked at the North campus of Lyons Township High School, it was reported at 6:13 p.m. Oct. 27.
A purse was reported stolen from a vehicle parked at Park and Cossitt avenues at about 9:15 p.m., while the vehicle owner's son was at school.
Eek! A large spider valued at $30 was reported stolen from the front porch of a home in the 100 block of South 8th Avenue. The report was filed with police at 10:05 a.m. Oct. 27.
A customer of John's Auto Body, 26 E. Plainfield Road, alleged at 6:24 p.m. Oct. 26 that several items were stolen from a truck they were having repaired at the shop the prior week, even though the vehicle sat unlocked on a Chicago street for a day before it was towed from where it had been involved in an an accident and then towed to La Grange from there. Although the truck owner told police they believed the theft took place here, police advised the owner to file a report with Chicago police.
A vehicle was reported damaged Oct. 25 as it was parked in the 100 block of North Peck Avenue.
A light post in front of Anna's Hallmark, 10 W. Burlington Ave., was vandalized with "non gang-related" Halloween graffiti, it was reported at 9:21 a.m. Oct. 26.
A portable toilet in a driveway in the 900 block of South Spring Avenue had been dumped over twice since Oct. 23, a resident reported to police at 4:55 p.m. Oct. 25.
People crimes and cases
A woman driving a tan Oldsmobile registered in Brookfield requested a special watch due to a threat she received in the way of text messages on her cell phone, but then refused to provide any other information besides her first name or wait for an officer to arrive before she drove off. Police were unable to locate the woman, who said she works at a business in the 300 block of Washington Avenue.
The superintendent's administrative assistant in School District 105 was treated for a knee injury at Adventist La Grange Hospital after she fell on school grounds at 1001 S. Spring Ave. about 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26. A 911 call alerted paramedics to the accident involving Denise Struve, 57, of Hodgkins, after it was believed she may have broken a kneecap.
Medical assistance was refused by the mother of an 11-year-old La Grange boy who was reported jumped by two male blacks as he left the La Grange Community Center at Lincoln and Washington avenues at around 3 p.m. Oct. 25.
An African-American man was reported to be sleeping in the La Grange Post Office, 121 W. Hillgrove Ave. at 10:15 p.m. Oct. 25, but police found a 44-year-old woman asleep there before sending her on her way.
Fire calls
La Grange firefighters responded to a report of an interior gas leak at a home in the 700 block of South Spring Avenue just before 8:30 a.m. Oct. 26.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
'SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY' COULD BE CRIME
Not much crime going on but lots of "suspicious activity" being reported this past week in and around La Grange -- but that doesn't always mean nothing's going on. In fact, it's the sign of alert and observant neighbors, who call the cops whenever they suspect something's awry. Unfortunately, some calls turn out to be false alarms: the would-be suspicious-looking people are gone on arrival or are unable to be located.
Then again, there's the time when a west suburban homeowner told police she thought she saw a few suspicious-looking men with headwear standing next to a corner house up the street. Police responded and found the "men" to be statues of the Three Wise Men. Or last week's report of a La Grange resident who mistook a boy with a toy sword for a suspicious man pacing back and forth with the real thing.
Still, while we all make mistakes, calling 911 is never a bad idea. Sometimes, a call means a solved crime or the arrest of an offender.
Such was the case of a resident in the 300 block of South Kensington Avenue, who thought they heard someone trying to enter their back door shortly at about 11:15 p.m. Oct. 17, even though a rear gate was latched and the back door was locked . Police arrived to find the exterior of the house secure and no signs of an attempted break-in.
Or, for example, the resident in the 400 block of South Stone Avenue who told police they believe they witnessed a drug deal taking place in Elm Park at about 1:25 p.m. Oct. 17. The caller, whose report was delayed by 15 minutes, said he saw a man with a Navy blue top, white lounge pants and blonde hair sitting in the park when a 2-door older tan hatchback pulled up northbound Stone. Its driver got out and the two walked together up northbound Stone and exchanged a plastic bag, before the driver returned to his vehicle and drove off north on Stone. The other man walked down southbound Stone before turning into a yard near Maple Avenue. Neither man could not be located by police, but a special watch was assigned to the area.
A day earlier, an employee of Trader Joe's, 25 N. La Grange Road, reported seeing a man looking in car windows behind the store at about 7 p.m. that night. The suspicious man, who also was not tracked down, was wearing a dark ski mask, glasses and a blue and white jacket.
A very alert employee of Starbucks, 38 S. La Grange Road, told police they noticed a regular customer in the store shortly before 9 p.m. Oct. 16 who appeared to be touching himself as he stared at a group of teenage girls. Police could not locate the man.
In yet another case, police were called to the 100 block of Washington Avenue at 9:44 p.m. Oct. 16 to investigate a 911 call from an 18-year-old La Grange man who said he was approached by five males, one in a red jacket and another in black shorts, who came up to him with a bicycle and told him they found his bike and threatened to hit him. However, while he said he does not own a bike, he was suspicious they may steal something from him.
A 38-year-old resident in the 400 block of East Maple Avenue told police a young man with sandy blonde hair and wearing a vest came to her house at about 8 a.m. Oct. 16 and identified himself as a ComEd employee, telling her the utility needed to work in her backyard. But ComEd informed her they had nobody in the area that day. The man took off in an unknown direction and was not located by police.
A resident in the 200 block of Leitch Avenue reported to police shortly after 5 p.m. Oct. 14 they found empty beer cans and bottles in a nearby athletic field and requested a special watch on weekends because they believe kids may be drinking there at night.
Not much crime, remember?
A boy's wallet was reported stolen from a locker in the North campus of Lyons Township High School, 100 S. Brainard Ave., on Oct. 20. The report was filed with police at about 4:30 p.m. that day.
A tire was reported stolen in the 600 block of South La Grange Road on Oct. 17, it was reported the morning of Oct. 19.
Nine BB holes were discovered in a garage in the 400 block of Benton Avenue shortly before 2 p.m. Oct. 19. However, a 24-year-old neighbor who recently had his gun confiscated by his father was considered a suspect.
A 32-year-old La Grange man, David Bennett of 19 Hayes, was arrested for domestic battery after his live-in girlfriend, also 32, was transported to La Grange Adventist Hospital for an injured shoulder shortly after midnight Oct. 20. Their 10-month-old daughter was turned over to the custody of a Chicago couple.
A homeless couple was cited for open alcohol after police said the two were caught drinking alcohol on the Hillgrove side of the La Grange Road train depot at 7:10 p.m. Oct. 19. The citation was issued to 51-year-old Michael Bates and 55-year-old Mary Zimmerman. A day earlier, police said Zimmerman was picked up at 125 N. La Grange Road shortly before 7 p.m. and transported to Loyola University Medical Center because she was feeling suicidal.
Etcetera, etc.
Besides that darn loose dog wreaking havoc and chasing mail carriers on South Hayes Avenue of late, there's the guy angering neighbors for letting his two pit pulls defecate in an empty lot at Maple and Bluff avenues without cleaning up after them. Then there's the panhandlers hanging out at 7-Eleven, the evening basketball players at Sedgwick and nighttime softball players at Gordon harassing Park District employees and refusing to leave their respective parks at closing time, the college student producing a film behind Village Hall with real toy guns (police got advance notice of that one), the kids loitering and pulling the panic alarm in the downtown parking deck, the Brookfield woman who police said they caught lying when she claimed her car was struck in the deck when really she rear-ended someone else earlier that day at 31st Street and La Grange Road in La Grange Park -- and the very nice gentleman at Gurrie Middle School, 1001 S. Spring Ave., who at around 7 a.m. Oct. 16, turned into police a lawn chair and scarecrow Halloween decoration reported stolen from a resident in the 900 block of Stone Avenue (see last week's theft reports).
Other than that ...
A 5-year-old girl was treated at Hinsdale Adventist Hospital after she was vomiting and experiencing a possible seizure at around 11 a.m. Oct. 20 at St. John's Church, 505 S. Park Road.
La Grange Park firefighters responded to a smell of natural gas in the 600 block of North Edgewood Lane shortly before 2 p.m. Oct. 20.
A 1-year-old boy was treated at La Grange Adventist Hospital after having seizures in the first block of Park Road at about 3:45 p.m. Oct. 19.
Til' next week, that's all folks!
Then again, there's the time when a west suburban homeowner told police she thought she saw a few suspicious-looking men with headwear standing next to a corner house up the street. Police responded and found the "men" to be statues of the Three Wise Men. Or last week's report of a La Grange resident who mistook a boy with a toy sword for a suspicious man pacing back and forth with the real thing.
Still, while we all make mistakes, calling 911 is never a bad idea. Sometimes, a call means a solved crime or the arrest of an offender.
Such was the case of a resident in the 300 block of South Kensington Avenue, who thought they heard someone trying to enter their back door shortly at about 11:15 p.m. Oct. 17, even though a rear gate was latched and the back door was locked . Police arrived to find the exterior of the house secure and no signs of an attempted break-in.
Or, for example, the resident in the 400 block of South Stone Avenue who told police they believe they witnessed a drug deal taking place in Elm Park at about 1:25 p.m. Oct. 17. The caller, whose report was delayed by 15 minutes, said he saw a man with a Navy blue top, white lounge pants and blonde hair sitting in the park when a 2-door older tan hatchback pulled up northbound Stone. Its driver got out and the two walked together up northbound Stone and exchanged a plastic bag, before the driver returned to his vehicle and drove off north on Stone. The other man walked down southbound Stone before turning into a yard near Maple Avenue. Neither man could not be located by police, but a special watch was assigned to the area.
A day earlier, an employee of Trader Joe's, 25 N. La Grange Road, reported seeing a man looking in car windows behind the store at about 7 p.m. that night. The suspicious man, who also was not tracked down, was wearing a dark ski mask, glasses and a blue and white jacket.
A very alert employee of Starbucks, 38 S. La Grange Road, told police they noticed a regular customer in the store shortly before 9 p.m. Oct. 16 who appeared to be touching himself as he stared at a group of teenage girls. Police could not locate the man.
In yet another case, police were called to the 100 block of Washington Avenue at 9:44 p.m. Oct. 16 to investigate a 911 call from an 18-year-old La Grange man who said he was approached by five males, one in a red jacket and another in black shorts, who came up to him with a bicycle and told him they found his bike and threatened to hit him. However, while he said he does not own a bike, he was suspicious they may steal something from him.
A 38-year-old resident in the 400 block of East Maple Avenue told police a young man with sandy blonde hair and wearing a vest came to her house at about 8 a.m. Oct. 16 and identified himself as a ComEd employee, telling her the utility needed to work in her backyard. But ComEd informed her they had nobody in the area that day. The man took off in an unknown direction and was not located by police.
A resident in the 200 block of Leitch Avenue reported to police shortly after 5 p.m. Oct. 14 they found empty beer cans and bottles in a nearby athletic field and requested a special watch on weekends because they believe kids may be drinking there at night.
Not much crime, remember?
A boy's wallet was reported stolen from a locker in the North campus of Lyons Township High School, 100 S. Brainard Ave., on Oct. 20. The report was filed with police at about 4:30 p.m. that day.
A tire was reported stolen in the 600 block of South La Grange Road on Oct. 17, it was reported the morning of Oct. 19.
Nine BB holes were discovered in a garage in the 400 block of Benton Avenue shortly before 2 p.m. Oct. 19. However, a 24-year-old neighbor who recently had his gun confiscated by his father was considered a suspect.
A 32-year-old La Grange man, David Bennett of 19 Hayes, was arrested for domestic battery after his live-in girlfriend, also 32, was transported to La Grange Adventist Hospital for an injured shoulder shortly after midnight Oct. 20. Their 10-month-old daughter was turned over to the custody of a Chicago couple.
A homeless couple was cited for open alcohol after police said the two were caught drinking alcohol on the Hillgrove side of the La Grange Road train depot at 7:10 p.m. Oct. 19. The citation was issued to 51-year-old Michael Bates and 55-year-old Mary Zimmerman. A day earlier, police said Zimmerman was picked up at 125 N. La Grange Road shortly before 7 p.m. and transported to Loyola University Medical Center because she was feeling suicidal.
Etcetera, etc.
Besides that darn loose dog wreaking havoc and chasing mail carriers on South Hayes Avenue of late, there's the guy angering neighbors for letting his two pit pulls defecate in an empty lot at Maple and Bluff avenues without cleaning up after them. Then there's the panhandlers hanging out at 7-Eleven, the evening basketball players at Sedgwick and nighttime softball players at Gordon harassing Park District employees and refusing to leave their respective parks at closing time, the college student producing a film behind Village Hall with real toy guns (police got advance notice of that one), the kids loitering and pulling the panic alarm in the downtown parking deck, the Brookfield woman who police said they caught lying when she claimed her car was struck in the deck when really she rear-ended someone else earlier that day at 31st Street and La Grange Road in La Grange Park -- and the very nice gentleman at Gurrie Middle School, 1001 S. Spring Ave., who at around 7 a.m. Oct. 16, turned into police a lawn chair and scarecrow Halloween decoration reported stolen from a resident in the 900 block of Stone Avenue (see last week's theft reports).
Other than that ...
A 5-year-old girl was treated at Hinsdale Adventist Hospital after she was vomiting and experiencing a possible seizure at around 11 a.m. Oct. 20 at St. John's Church, 505 S. Park Road.
La Grange Park firefighters responded to a smell of natural gas in the 600 block of North Edgewood Lane shortly before 2 p.m. Oct. 20.
A 1-year-old boy was treated at La Grange Adventist Hospital after having seizures in the first block of Park Road at about 3:45 p.m. Oct. 19.
Til' next week, that's all folks!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
RESIDENT THWARTS WOULD-BE BURGLAR
A resident in the 800 block of South La Grange Road almost caught a car burglar before he broke into a Subaru and a Honda by unknown means shortly after 1:30 a.m. Oct. 14. The male subject, described as a white man in his 20s with shaggy hair and a thin build and wearing dark clothing and a possible windbreaker type jacket, was last seen running eastbound on 51st Street and southbound on La Grange Road.
Other break-ins, thefts, failed tries
A grey backpack containing text books, XBox controllers with a rechargeable cord, an IPod and a spiral notebook worth an estimated $175 were reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle belonging to a 23-year-old man in the 900 block of South Madison Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. Oct. 12.
Miscellaneous items were stolen from an unlocked car in the A200 block of South Ashland Avenue, it was reported to police at about 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11.
A lawn chair and straw decoration on display for Halloween in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of South Stone Avenue was reported stolen sometime between the night of Oct. 9 and about 9:45 a.m. Oct. 10.
A customer at Borders, 1 N. La Grange Road, told police she was pickpocketed from someone inside the store sometime before 10:50 a.m. Oct. 8. She said she did not see who did it.
A wallet was reported stolen Oct. 7 at Lyons Township High School, 100 S. Brainard Ave.
Police recovered an unoccupied vehicle in the behind a home in the 400 block of East Avenue that came back stolen out of Buffalo, N.Y., at about 4 p.m. Oct. 10.
False alarm
Five teens were issued local ordinance tickets for loitering after they were found allegedly playing with a panic alarm on the first floor of the parking deck downtown. They include Tikira Kirk, 16, of La Grange; Wendy Mora, 15, of La Grange; Marc Herns, 16, of La Grange; Cynthyia Actame, 15, of La Grange and Dobson LaKeith, 15, of Niles.
Odd, but true
A 53-year-old Cicero man in a blue jacket was awoken by police after he was reported sleeping on the volleyball court at Sedgwick Park, 47th Street and East Avenue, shortly after 11 a.m. Oct. 11. And shortly after 10 p.m. Oct. 9, two homeless men in their 40s laying in an alley in the first block of La Grange Road.
A boy with a toy was mistaken for a suspicious man pacing back and forth and wielding a possible sword in the 300 block of Waiola Avenue on the afternoon of Oct. 11.
A fake human leg was stolen from a decorative skeleton on display for Halloween on the front lawn of a house in the 1000 block of South Spring Avenue sometime between the night of Oct. 9 and 9:40 a.m. Oct. 10.
Boy, the things that make it to the blotter. Someone actually complained to police because a man was seen walking his pit bull near Bluff and Maple avenues and not picking up after the dog. Oh my!
Last but not least comes the suspicious 40-year-old fella in the 700 block of 9th Avenue who was spotted by someone sitting in a dark vehicle on the south side of 50th Street at 9th, facing the wrong direction, shortly after 5:45 a.m. Oct. 8. Turns out he was the owner of the vehicle who lived nearby and decided to sit in waiting keeping watch on his own house for an unknown culprit who keeps allowing their dog to defecate on his lawn.
Vandalism
A resident in the 100 block of North Park Avenue reported finding gang graffiti on his garage at 5:22 p.m. Oct. 13.
A large group of kids were also dispersed by police as they congregated at the fountain adjacent to Village Hall in the first block of La Grange Road shortly before 9 p.m. Oct. 12. An unknown offender in the crowd was believed to have placed soap in the fountain as well. The fountain was also discovered soaped at 9:35 p.m. that night, causing officials to shut it down.
A vehicle was reported egged between 10:30 a.m. Oct. 11 and 11:13 a.m. Oct. 12 in the 100 block of Washington Avenue.
A car window was reported broken in the 200 block of East Plainfield Road at about 7:15 p.m. Oct. 9.
Both passenger side tires of a vehicle were slashed as it was in the parking lot of Grayhill, 561 W. Hillgrove Ave., it was reported at 2:28 p.m. Oct. 7. The victim told police they believe a fellow employee was the suspect, but doesn't want to press charges at this time.
Lots of suspicious activity
A 24-year-old man was accused of setting fires outside of a house in the 400 block of Benton, the latest report phoned into police on the afternoon of Oct. 13. The man apparently agreed to stop, but showed up again that day with a yellow bottle of possible flammable liquid.
Someone's unattended wheelchair was discovered without a rider against a fence at the North campus soccer field of Lyons Township High School at Park and Elm avenues at 6:35 p.m. Oct. 12.
A screen was reported missing from a window of a vacant house in the 200 block of East Avenue and the inside lights were discovered on at 9:20 p.m. Oct. 13, when the house is normally dark and the screens are in place.
A dog with a collar around its neck was reported running loose twice in one day on the village's East Side, but was gone when police responded to calls during the morning and afternoon Oct. 13. The morning report was made by a mail carrier at Washington and Sawyer avenues; the first caller saw the dog running around by Tilden and Franklin avenues. The dog is believed to be a pet from the first block of Hayes Avenue.
A heavy-set Latino man wearing a spring jacket and hat tried to enter someone's house in the 500 block of South 8th Avenue at about 4 p.m. Oct. 8. He told the homeowner he had to dig in his backyard when no such work was scheduled. The resident closed the door on him and he left.
Gas smells, fires
A natural gas leak was discovered at a meter behind a house in the 600 block of South Waiola Avenue shortly before 10:45 a.m. Oct. 13. Nicor was notified. A gas odor was also discovered inside stores in the 100 block of West Calendar Court on the afternoon of Oct. 12 and painters were found to be working in vacant storefront. The workers were told to stop painting for a while. And at 3:40 p.m. Oct. 11, Nicor also was called out to take care of a leak when someone smelled gas in the 200 block of South Brainard Avenue.
Several subjects were sent on their way without charges after someone reported they started a fire under the Ogden Avenue bridge shortly after 8 p.m. Oct. 12.
Firefighters extinguished a laundry room fire in the 300 block of South Kensington Avenue called in to police at 7:58 p.m. Oct. 10.
Firefighters also responded to a mutual aid call from Western Springs of a smell of electrical wiring burning inside a home in the 4700 block of Wolf Road. The source was a faulty wall outlet.
Vagrancy violators
A white man and white woman were reported trying to shake down people for money outside of the 7-Eleven, 201 W. Hillgrove Ave., at about 11:20 p.m. Oct. 11. The vagrants were gone by the time police arrived.
People crimes
A 14-year-old Aurora boy was released without charges to the custody of his aunt after police said he crossed the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the gates down on northbound La Grange Road at Burlington Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9.
A special watch was placed on a house in the 100 block of East Avenue where an unknown man put two mattresses under the porch in the rear of a bank-owned house. The caller, who discovered the beds at about 1 p.m. Oct. 9, told police they feared someone may be planning to set the house on fire. Or, perhaps, sleep there?
Other break-ins, thefts, failed tries
A grey backpack containing text books, XBox controllers with a rechargeable cord, an IPod and a spiral notebook worth an estimated $175 were reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle belonging to a 23-year-old man in the 900 block of South Madison Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. Oct. 12.
Miscellaneous items were stolen from an unlocked car in the A200 block of South Ashland Avenue, it was reported to police at about 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11.
A lawn chair and straw decoration on display for Halloween in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of South Stone Avenue was reported stolen sometime between the night of Oct. 9 and about 9:45 a.m. Oct. 10.
A customer at Borders, 1 N. La Grange Road, told police she was pickpocketed from someone inside the store sometime before 10:50 a.m. Oct. 8. She said she did not see who did it.
A wallet was reported stolen Oct. 7 at Lyons Township High School, 100 S. Brainard Ave.
Police recovered an unoccupied vehicle in the behind a home in the 400 block of East Avenue that came back stolen out of Buffalo, N.Y., at about 4 p.m. Oct. 10.
False alarm
Five teens were issued local ordinance tickets for loitering after they were found allegedly playing with a panic alarm on the first floor of the parking deck downtown. They include Tikira Kirk, 16, of La Grange; Wendy Mora, 15, of La Grange; Marc Herns, 16, of La Grange; Cynthyia Actame, 15, of La Grange and Dobson LaKeith, 15, of Niles.
Odd, but true
A 53-year-old Cicero man in a blue jacket was awoken by police after he was reported sleeping on the volleyball court at Sedgwick Park, 47th Street and East Avenue, shortly after 11 a.m. Oct. 11. And shortly after 10 p.m. Oct. 9, two homeless men in their 40s laying in an alley in the first block of La Grange Road.
A boy with a toy was mistaken for a suspicious man pacing back and forth and wielding a possible sword in the 300 block of Waiola Avenue on the afternoon of Oct. 11.
A fake human leg was stolen from a decorative skeleton on display for Halloween on the front lawn of a house in the 1000 block of South Spring Avenue sometime between the night of Oct. 9 and 9:40 a.m. Oct. 10.
Boy, the things that make it to the blotter. Someone actually complained to police because a man was seen walking his pit bull near Bluff and Maple avenues and not picking up after the dog. Oh my!
Last but not least comes the suspicious 40-year-old fella in the 700 block of 9th Avenue who was spotted by someone sitting in a dark vehicle on the south side of 50th Street at 9th, facing the wrong direction, shortly after 5:45 a.m. Oct. 8. Turns out he was the owner of the vehicle who lived nearby and decided to sit in waiting keeping watch on his own house for an unknown culprit who keeps allowing their dog to defecate on his lawn.
Vandalism
A resident in the 100 block of North Park Avenue reported finding gang graffiti on his garage at 5:22 p.m. Oct. 13.
A large group of kids were also dispersed by police as they congregated at the fountain adjacent to Village Hall in the first block of La Grange Road shortly before 9 p.m. Oct. 12. An unknown offender in the crowd was believed to have placed soap in the fountain as well. The fountain was also discovered soaped at 9:35 p.m. that night, causing officials to shut it down.
A vehicle was reported egged between 10:30 a.m. Oct. 11 and 11:13 a.m. Oct. 12 in the 100 block of Washington Avenue.
A car window was reported broken in the 200 block of East Plainfield Road at about 7:15 p.m. Oct. 9.
Both passenger side tires of a vehicle were slashed as it was in the parking lot of Grayhill, 561 W. Hillgrove Ave., it was reported at 2:28 p.m. Oct. 7. The victim told police they believe a fellow employee was the suspect, but doesn't want to press charges at this time.
Lots of suspicious activity
A 24-year-old man was accused of setting fires outside of a house in the 400 block of Benton, the latest report phoned into police on the afternoon of Oct. 13. The man apparently agreed to stop, but showed up again that day with a yellow bottle of possible flammable liquid.
Someone's unattended wheelchair was discovered without a rider against a fence at the North campus soccer field of Lyons Township High School at Park and Elm avenues at 6:35 p.m. Oct. 12.
A screen was reported missing from a window of a vacant house in the 200 block of East Avenue and the inside lights were discovered on at 9:20 p.m. Oct. 13, when the house is normally dark and the screens are in place.
A dog with a collar around its neck was reported running loose twice in one day on the village's East Side, but was gone when police responded to calls during the morning and afternoon Oct. 13. The morning report was made by a mail carrier at Washington and Sawyer avenues; the first caller saw the dog running around by Tilden and Franklin avenues. The dog is believed to be a pet from the first block of Hayes Avenue.
A heavy-set Latino man wearing a spring jacket and hat tried to enter someone's house in the 500 block of South 8th Avenue at about 4 p.m. Oct. 8. He told the homeowner he had to dig in his backyard when no such work was scheduled. The resident closed the door on him and he left.
Gas smells, fires
A natural gas leak was discovered at a meter behind a house in the 600 block of South Waiola Avenue shortly before 10:45 a.m. Oct. 13. Nicor was notified. A gas odor was also discovered inside stores in the 100 block of West Calendar Court on the afternoon of Oct. 12 and painters were found to be working in vacant storefront. The workers were told to stop painting for a while. And at 3:40 p.m. Oct. 11, Nicor also was called out to take care of a leak when someone smelled gas in the 200 block of South Brainard Avenue.
Several subjects were sent on their way without charges after someone reported they started a fire under the Ogden Avenue bridge shortly after 8 p.m. Oct. 12.
Firefighters extinguished a laundry room fire in the 300 block of South Kensington Avenue called in to police at 7:58 p.m. Oct. 10.
Firefighters also responded to a mutual aid call from Western Springs of a smell of electrical wiring burning inside a home in the 4700 block of Wolf Road. The source was a faulty wall outlet.
Vagrancy violators
A white man and white woman were reported trying to shake down people for money outside of the 7-Eleven, 201 W. Hillgrove Ave., at about 11:20 p.m. Oct. 11. The vagrants were gone by the time police arrived.
People crimes
A 14-year-old Aurora boy was released without charges to the custody of his aunt after police said he crossed the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the gates down on northbound La Grange Road at Burlington Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9.
A special watch was placed on a house in the 100 block of East Avenue where an unknown man put two mattresses under the porch in the rear of a bank-owned house. The caller, who discovered the beds at about 1 p.m. Oct. 9, told police they feared someone may be planning to set the house on fire. Or, perhaps, sleep there?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
ARMED ROBBERY ON EAST SIDE STREET
A 20-year-old La Grange woman was robbed of an unknown amount of cash by a man wearing a black ski mask and black clothing as she and a friend walked in the 100 block of Sawyer Avenue at 3:10 p.m. Oct. 2.
Police said the victim reported she was robbed when the suspect implied he had a gun and demanded money.
The woman gave the man her money, but the offender did not confront the man. Neither were harmed.
The offender, a 6-foot-tall African-American man with a medium build, was last seen on foot near Cossitt Avenue after running through several adjacent residential yards.
Although no arrests have been made, reports indicated two subjects were seen running into a home in the first block of Washington Avenue. One had an unidentified object in his hand.
Onto other things
Besides that, there weren't many other serious crimes reported in the past week, perhaps because autumn is quickly settling in with cold temps and blustery winds.
Not too many trees or limbs were reported down following the unusually high winds on the night of Oct. 6, except a few near 51st Street and Brainard Avenue and in the 100 block of Ashland Avenue.
Slippery when wet
Last week's rains caused a few fender-benders, not the least of which was a single-car accident that interrupted traffic for a bit on the evening of Oct. 3 at La Grange Road and 47th Street. Seems Jared Johnson, 17, of 5120 Fair Elms, Western Springs was attempting a left turn in the intersection onto westbound 47th at about 8:30 p.m. when he lost control of the 2003 Honda Accord he was driving and struck a light pole in the parkway after he slid on the wet pavement. His two teenage passengers were not hurt, but he was transported to La Grange Adventist Hospital for treatment of his injuries. No tickets were issued in the crash.
Burglaries and thefts
A bicycle was reported stolen from an unlocked garage in the 300 block of South Stone Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. Oct. 4. Two days later, at about 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6, another bicycle was reported stolen from outside the La Grange Road train station, 25 W. Burlington Ave., as it was locked up on the north side of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Yet another bicycle was stolen from outside Horton's, 60 S. La Grange Road, on the night of Oct. 1. The GT mountain bike, reported stolen at 1 p.m. Oct. 2, was maroon with white lettering. It was not indicated whether the bike was locked at the time.
A license plate sticker was reported stolen in La Grange or Chicago at 6 p.m. Oct. 3. The owner of the vehicle lives in the 600 block of South Catherine Avenue.
The front door of a vacant house for sale in the 600 block of South Spring Avenue was discovered open shortly before 10 a.m. Oct. 4. It was not known if entry was gained.
A Latino man age 25 to 30 and wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt was seen trying to pry open a first floor window of an apartment in the 900 block of South 8th Avenue shortly after 11:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Police responded and were unable to locate the man. No entry was gained.
Vandalism
A 911 caller informed police a group of kids were throwing eggs at cars at Ogden and Waiola avenues at about 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6. But they were gone by the time an officer arrived.
The passenger side quarter panel of a gold Yukon was keyed by an unknown vandal as it was parked in the first block of West Hillgrove Avenue, it was reported at 11:41 a.m. Oct. 2. The vandalism occurred sometime between Sept. 18 and 25.
Blaze news
No injuries were reported when La Grange firefighters responded to a report of a possible grill fire on a balcony next to a building in the first block of Ashland Avenue at 4:35 p.m. Oct. 4. In La Grange Park, firefighters extinguished an oven fire in the 700 block of Community called in shortly after 10 a.m. that same day.
People news
A 17-year-old student at Lyons Township High School was found allegedly intoxicated and in possession of illegal fireworks in her first floor locker of the North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 2. Police said Carissa Zavaleta, 4175 Eberly Ave., Brookfield, was issued a local ordinance ticket for illegal possession of fireworks and the school handled the alleged intoxication. In addition, a parent of the girl was notified and the school gave her information about alcoholism.
Police provided standby assistance for investigators with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services as they attempted to remove three children in protective custody from a home in the first block of North Peck Avenue shortly before 4 a.m. Oct. 2. The attempt was unsuccessful, as the homeowners did not allow entry, police said. Another attempt was made about 4:15 p.m. the previous afternoon, but the homeowners did not answer the door. Details about the case were not immediately available.
A 49-year-old homeless man was caught sleeping under a porch of a duplex residence in the first block of North Catherine Avenue at 9:40 a.m. Oct. 6. The man was told not to return.
A 12-year-old Gurrie Middle School student got her finger stuck in a sewing machine while in a first floor classroom of the school, 1001 S. Spring Ave., at about 1 p.m. Oct. 5. The girl's mother refused medical assistance.
Two teens were seen begging for gas money while seated inside or standing outside a purple PT Cruiser in the parking lot of Walgreens, 2 N. La Grange Road, at about 9:45 p.m. Oct. 3, it was reported to police. The teens were not located.
A 14-year-old La Grange girl was transported to Riveredge Hospital after her 42-year-old mother told police the girl lost control and was hitting her in the home they share in the first block of South Spring Avenue. The incident was reported to police at 4:49 p.m. Oct. 2.
A waste of time
A neighboring resident of La Grange Adventist Hospital got what was coming to them on the morning of Oct. 1. Seems security at the hospital, 5101 S. La Grange Road, reports the unincorporated La Grange Highlands resident who lives just south of the facility's grounds has been dumping lawn and tree waste on the hospital property. The property owner was asked not to do so, as it is private property and security even posted signs to that effect, to no avail. The person keeps dumping there, they told police that morning. The waste, in turn, was dumped back on the offender's property.
Police said the victim reported she was robbed when the suspect implied he had a gun and demanded money.
The woman gave the man her money, but the offender did not confront the man. Neither were harmed.
The offender, a 6-foot-tall African-American man with a medium build, was last seen on foot near Cossitt Avenue after running through several adjacent residential yards.
Although no arrests have been made, reports indicated two subjects were seen running into a home in the first block of Washington Avenue. One had an unidentified object in his hand.
Onto other things
Besides that, there weren't many other serious crimes reported in the past week, perhaps because autumn is quickly settling in with cold temps and blustery winds.
Not too many trees or limbs were reported down following the unusually high winds on the night of Oct. 6, except a few near 51st Street and Brainard Avenue and in the 100 block of Ashland Avenue.
Slippery when wet
Last week's rains caused a few fender-benders, not the least of which was a single-car accident that interrupted traffic for a bit on the evening of Oct. 3 at La Grange Road and 47th Street. Seems Jared Johnson, 17, of 5120 Fair Elms, Western Springs was attempting a left turn in the intersection onto westbound 47th at about 8:30 p.m. when he lost control of the 2003 Honda Accord he was driving and struck a light pole in the parkway after he slid on the wet pavement. His two teenage passengers were not hurt, but he was transported to La Grange Adventist Hospital for treatment of his injuries. No tickets were issued in the crash.
Burglaries and thefts
A bicycle was reported stolen from an unlocked garage in the 300 block of South Stone Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. Oct. 4. Two days later, at about 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6, another bicycle was reported stolen from outside the La Grange Road train station, 25 W. Burlington Ave., as it was locked up on the north side of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Yet another bicycle was stolen from outside Horton's, 60 S. La Grange Road, on the night of Oct. 1. The GT mountain bike, reported stolen at 1 p.m. Oct. 2, was maroon with white lettering. It was not indicated whether the bike was locked at the time.
A license plate sticker was reported stolen in La Grange or Chicago at 6 p.m. Oct. 3. The owner of the vehicle lives in the 600 block of South Catherine Avenue.
The front door of a vacant house for sale in the 600 block of South Spring Avenue was discovered open shortly before 10 a.m. Oct. 4. It was not known if entry was gained.
A Latino man age 25 to 30 and wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt was seen trying to pry open a first floor window of an apartment in the 900 block of South 8th Avenue shortly after 11:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Police responded and were unable to locate the man. No entry was gained.
Vandalism
A 911 caller informed police a group of kids were throwing eggs at cars at Ogden and Waiola avenues at about 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6. But they were gone by the time an officer arrived.
The passenger side quarter panel of a gold Yukon was keyed by an unknown vandal as it was parked in the first block of West Hillgrove Avenue, it was reported at 11:41 a.m. Oct. 2. The vandalism occurred sometime between Sept. 18 and 25.
Blaze news
No injuries were reported when La Grange firefighters responded to a report of a possible grill fire on a balcony next to a building in the first block of Ashland Avenue at 4:35 p.m. Oct. 4. In La Grange Park, firefighters extinguished an oven fire in the 700 block of Community called in shortly after 10 a.m. that same day.
People news
A 17-year-old student at Lyons Township High School was found allegedly intoxicated and in possession of illegal fireworks in her first floor locker of the North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 2. Police said Carissa Zavaleta, 4175 Eberly Ave., Brookfield, was issued a local ordinance ticket for illegal possession of fireworks and the school handled the alleged intoxication. In addition, a parent of the girl was notified and the school gave her information about alcoholism.
Police provided standby assistance for investigators with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services as they attempted to remove three children in protective custody from a home in the first block of North Peck Avenue shortly before 4 a.m. Oct. 2. The attempt was unsuccessful, as the homeowners did not allow entry, police said. Another attempt was made about 4:15 p.m. the previous afternoon, but the homeowners did not answer the door. Details about the case were not immediately available.
A 49-year-old homeless man was caught sleeping under a porch of a duplex residence in the first block of North Catherine Avenue at 9:40 a.m. Oct. 6. The man was told not to return.
A 12-year-old Gurrie Middle School student got her finger stuck in a sewing machine while in a first floor classroom of the school, 1001 S. Spring Ave., at about 1 p.m. Oct. 5. The girl's mother refused medical assistance.
Two teens were seen begging for gas money while seated inside or standing outside a purple PT Cruiser in the parking lot of Walgreens, 2 N. La Grange Road, at about 9:45 p.m. Oct. 3, it was reported to police. The teens were not located.
A 14-year-old La Grange girl was transported to Riveredge Hospital after her 42-year-old mother told police the girl lost control and was hitting her in the home they share in the first block of South Spring Avenue. The incident was reported to police at 4:49 p.m. Oct. 2.
A waste of time
A neighboring resident of La Grange Adventist Hospital got what was coming to them on the morning of Oct. 1. Seems security at the hospital, 5101 S. La Grange Road, reports the unincorporated La Grange Highlands resident who lives just south of the facility's grounds has been dumping lawn and tree waste on the hospital property. The property owner was asked not to do so, as it is private property and security even posted signs to that effect, to no avail. The person keeps dumping there, they told police that morning. The waste, in turn, was dumped back on the offender's property.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
POLICE ARREST WOULD-BE BURGLAR
La Grange police were on their toes again this week when they quickly responded to a report of a suspicious man near a vehicle in a church parking lot and arrived to find a teenager wielding a tire iron with the alleged intent of breaking in to steal a GPS device.
Arrested on a single count of attempted burglary to a motor vehicle was Dennis L. Tabor, 17, of 1007 S. La Grange Road, La Grange. The incident occurred between 10:10 and 10:20 am. Sept. 28 outside of the First Presbyterian Church of La Grange in the 132 Catherine Ave.
When police received the call, it was reported a man with glasses and a black coat had parked an older tan 2-door vehicle in the church lot and kept getting in and out of it to look inside a blue vehicle also parked in the lot. Police responded and found the man on the north side of the lot.
Detective Rob Wardlaw said the teen, who admitted to his desire to smash the window to carry out the theft, will be tried as an adult.
This case, he added, was not believed connected to any of the recent burglaries in the village or to last week's burglary arrest.
Burglaries & thefts
The owner of The UPS Store, 106 W. Calendar Court, reported someone broke into his business between Sept. 26 and 28 and stole an undetermined amount of cash from a cash drawer. The package delivery store was closed Sept. 27, but police said there was no forced entry.
A day later, at 4:04 p.m. Sept. 29, a resident in the 300 block of Sunset Avenue reported their copper gutters had been stolen from their house earlier that day.
A boys black BMX-type Viper bicycle was reported stolen from a front yard in the 300 block of East Elm Avenue on Sept. 26. The theft was reported at 8:23 a.m. Sept. 29.
A resident in the 400 block of South Park Road reported the theft of a FedEx package from their house. The package, with undisclosed contents, was reported missing at 11:20 a.m. Sept. 27.
In a related note, a resident in the 500 block of South Catherine Avenue told police they witnessed an unknown male in a dark hoodie run away from their car after setting off the alarm at about 7:45 p.m. Sept. 23. The subject, whom police could not locate, was last seen running up northbound Ashland Avenue from westbound 50th Street.
On Sept. 29, three male black teens in dark clothing also were seen messing with bicycle locks at about 4 p.m. outside of the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave. They, too, were gone by the time police arrived.
Odd, but true
A resident living near West Field near the Lyons Township High School's North campus at Edgewood and Cossitt avenues made a delayed report at 9 a.m. Sept. 25 indicating a mutilated duck and a squirrel were found, both decapitated, in the park, along with several beer bottles. The items were believed left there between 5 p.m. Sept. 19 and Sept. 21.
Vandalism
Kids were seen egging homes in the 900 block of Catherine Avenue at 53rd Street shortly before 11 p.m. Sept. 27. Someone's daughter was also egged that day, but at about 8 p.m., while she was in the 800 block of South 8th Avenue. Another neighbor reported seeing someone in a black SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer, possibly throw an egg at a car. That person was last seen on southbound 50th Street at 8th Avenue.
A cola product was thrown at a residential garage in the 1000 block of South Spring Avenue at 2:05 a.m. Sept. 26. The vandalism, reported the following afternoon, was videotaped by the homeowner.
Beer cans and items belonging to kids were found in a yard in the 600 block of South 7th Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. Sept. 26, where it is believed unknown offenders had been drinking.
BB holes were discovered in two windows of a vacant house in the 100 block of East Avenue, it was reported at about 6 p.m. Sept. 23.
People news
The Fire Department helped free an unidentified child from an elevator in the Park District of La Grange Recreation Center, 536 East Ave., after 11 a.m. Sept. 29.
No tickets were issued against the driver of a van who told police he hit the gas when he meant to brake in a parking lot and ran over the parking block, through a shrub and ran into the brick wall of La Grange Pediatrics, 1400 W. 47th St., at about 4 p.m. Sept. 23. The driver, a 16-year-old from Western Springs, and a 52-year-old female passenger, refused medical treatment.
A 17-year-old Brookfield girl claimed she was assaulted by another while at LT, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported about 7 p.m. Sept. 23.
A 6-year-old La Grange boy who fell an broke his arm at Seventh Avenue School, 701 S. 7th Ave., at about 9 a.m. Sept. 23, was transported by paramedics to Adventist La Grange Hospital and treated for his injuries.
Mother Nature calling
The windy weekend weather on Monday night caused lots of mayhem in and around town, including a downed cable wire over a house at Bluff and Calendar avenues; a downed tree across a sidewalk and driveway in the 100 block of South Ashland Avenue; a downed 30-foot-tall tree with a 12-inch diameter blocking a street in the 500 block of South 8th Avenue and a downed tree blocking the southbound lanes of Brainard Avenue at 49th Street.
Arrested on a single count of attempted burglary to a motor vehicle was Dennis L. Tabor, 17, of 1007 S. La Grange Road, La Grange. The incident occurred between 10:10 and 10:20 am. Sept. 28 outside of the First Presbyterian Church of La Grange in the 132 Catherine Ave.
When police received the call, it was reported a man with glasses and a black coat had parked an older tan 2-door vehicle in the church lot and kept getting in and out of it to look inside a blue vehicle also parked in the lot. Police responded and found the man on the north side of the lot.
Detective Rob Wardlaw said the teen, who admitted to his desire to smash the window to carry out the theft, will be tried as an adult.
This case, he added, was not believed connected to any of the recent burglaries in the village or to last week's burglary arrest.
Burglaries & thefts
The owner of The UPS Store, 106 W. Calendar Court, reported someone broke into his business between Sept. 26 and 28 and stole an undetermined amount of cash from a cash drawer. The package delivery store was closed Sept. 27, but police said there was no forced entry.
A day later, at 4:04 p.m. Sept. 29, a resident in the 300 block of Sunset Avenue reported their copper gutters had been stolen from their house earlier that day.
A boys black BMX-type Viper bicycle was reported stolen from a front yard in the 300 block of East Elm Avenue on Sept. 26. The theft was reported at 8:23 a.m. Sept. 29.
A resident in the 400 block of South Park Road reported the theft of a FedEx package from their house. The package, with undisclosed contents, was reported missing at 11:20 a.m. Sept. 27.
In a related note, a resident in the 500 block of South Catherine Avenue told police they witnessed an unknown male in a dark hoodie run away from their car after setting off the alarm at about 7:45 p.m. Sept. 23. The subject, whom police could not locate, was last seen running up northbound Ashland Avenue from westbound 50th Street.
On Sept. 29, three male black teens in dark clothing also were seen messing with bicycle locks at about 4 p.m. outside of the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave. They, too, were gone by the time police arrived.
Odd, but true
A resident living near West Field near the Lyons Township High School's North campus at Edgewood and Cossitt avenues made a delayed report at 9 a.m. Sept. 25 indicating a mutilated duck and a squirrel were found, both decapitated, in the park, along with several beer bottles. The items were believed left there between 5 p.m. Sept. 19 and Sept. 21.
Vandalism
Kids were seen egging homes in the 900 block of Catherine Avenue at 53rd Street shortly before 11 p.m. Sept. 27. Someone's daughter was also egged that day, but at about 8 p.m., while she was in the 800 block of South 8th Avenue. Another neighbor reported seeing someone in a black SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer, possibly throw an egg at a car. That person was last seen on southbound 50th Street at 8th Avenue.
A cola product was thrown at a residential garage in the 1000 block of South Spring Avenue at 2:05 a.m. Sept. 26. The vandalism, reported the following afternoon, was videotaped by the homeowner.
Beer cans and items belonging to kids were found in a yard in the 600 block of South 7th Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. Sept. 26, where it is believed unknown offenders had been drinking.
BB holes were discovered in two windows of a vacant house in the 100 block of East Avenue, it was reported at about 6 p.m. Sept. 23.
People news
The Fire Department helped free an unidentified child from an elevator in the Park District of La Grange Recreation Center, 536 East Ave., after 11 a.m. Sept. 29.
No tickets were issued against the driver of a van who told police he hit the gas when he meant to brake in a parking lot and ran over the parking block, through a shrub and ran into the brick wall of La Grange Pediatrics, 1400 W. 47th St., at about 4 p.m. Sept. 23. The driver, a 16-year-old from Western Springs, and a 52-year-old female passenger, refused medical treatment.
A 17-year-old Brookfield girl claimed she was assaulted by another while at LT, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported about 7 p.m. Sept. 23.
A 6-year-old La Grange boy who fell an broke his arm at Seventh Avenue School, 701 S. 7th Ave., at about 9 a.m. Sept. 23, was transported by paramedics to Adventist La Grange Hospital and treated for his injuries.
Mother Nature calling
The windy weekend weather on Monday night caused lots of mayhem in and around town, including a downed cable wire over a house at Bluff and Calendar avenues; a downed tree across a sidewalk and driveway in the 100 block of South Ashland Avenue; a downed 30-foot-tall tree with a 12-inch diameter blocking a street in the 500 block of South 8th Avenue and a downed tree blocking the southbound lanes of Brainard Avenue at 49th Street.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
POLICE BUST 5-TIME BURGLAR
Police in both La Grange and Brookfield have been doing a fine job lately cracking the endless stream of vandalism, thefts, burglaries and home invasions that have been plaguing our communities in recent months.
Just this week, La Grange investigators were quick to the punch in breaking a case of five residential and vehicular break-ins in recent weeks with the Sept. 21 arrest of 19-year old Anthony Harris, of Chicago on five felony counts of burglary.
A resident called police early in the morning Sept. 20 to report two suspicious people in the 100 block of East Maple Avenue.
After a short foot chase of the suspects in the 300 block of South 7th Avenue, Harris was apprehended near 6th and Goodman avenues with some property he could not account for. A search of the area to determine the origin of the proceeds was conducted by La Grange officers with the assistance of Brookfield, La Grange Park, Countryside and Western Springs police.
A canine unit from the Darien Police Department also responded to the area.
A comprehensive search was conducted and the officers and investigators located burglaries in the first block of South Catherine Avenue and the 300 blocks of South Catherine and 7th avenues.
Harris was interrogated at the La Grange police station and two additional crime scenes were identified.
Evidence and property related to the burglaries has been recovered. The evidence included, but was not limited to purses, cell phones and other electronic devices.
However, Police Chief Michael Holub stated these latest cases may not be linked to others in the village earlier this summer.
"Although we have experienced previous burglaries or thefts in La Grange over the past several weeks, we do not believe Anthony Harris is involved in any of those prior cases," he stated.
Now, some happy news
A dog to remain nameless was reunited with its owner following a potentially tragic set of circumstances shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Seems the pet was being walked when it slipped away from its owner's grip and ran into traffic at 47th Street and 9th Avenue, obviously unaware there was a painted crosswalk right there. The dog was struck by the vehicle and became stuck beneath it, but eventually freed himself. Whew. Close call.
Unrelated thefts
Sometime between 11 p.m. Sept. 21 and 8:45 a.m. Sept. 22, a 2-foot-high-by-10-inch wide faux cement decorative lion on a square base was stolen from a front porch in the 200 block of South Kensington Avenue. The figure was valued at $50. Kid's bicycles were reported stolen from a front yard in the 200 block of South Kensington and the front porch of a home in the 100 block of South 8th Avenue, both on Sept. 18
Miscellaneous items were taken when a vehicle was burglarized in the overnight hours of Sept. 21 in the 900 block of South Catherine. Also that night, several articles were shuffled around inside a possibly unlocked vehicle as it was parked in the 300 block of South 6th Avenue, but nothing was reported stolen. In the overnight hours of Sept. 15, two vehicles were burglarized in the 800 block of South La Grange Road.
A white MacBook laptop computer and black IPod were stolen when burglars forcibly entered a locked door of a home in the 100 block of Edgewood Lane in the overnight hours of Sept. 20 and rifled through an entire room while the residents were away.
A resident of the 200 block of South Kensington also reported a burglary to his home after returning from vacation shortly before 9 a.m. Sept. 21, but it was unknown if entry was gained. A ladder taken out of an open side door of the garage was found propped up against the back of the house.
Yet another resident, this time in the 200 block of South Spring Avenue, told police that they heard a noise outside about 1:15 a.m. Sept. 20 and saw two subjects running through yards. Upon investigation, they found their basement window well uncovered and several paver bricks stacked on the side. No entry was gained.
Some (other) crimes go unpunished
A boy was spotted on the roof of the AT&T building at Calendar Court and Ashland Avenue throwing rocks at cars shortly after 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18. He later told police hr was waiting for hos father, who works there, to get off for the day.
That night, at about 9:30 p.m., someone called 911 from a cell phone to report a group of kids who somehow made their way up to the roof of Cossitt School, 115 E. Cossitt Ave. (this seems a regular occurrence), and decided to start playing dodgeball with another group of kids down below. They were seen leaving the area when police arrived.
And we thought summer was over. A group of kids seen bombing cars with eggs from just west of La Grange Road at Ogden Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. Sept. 18 could not be located.
The driver of a Waste Management truck was not ticketed when he rear ended and knocked over a fire hydrant in the first block of Beech Avenue at Shawmut Avenue in La Grange Park shortly before 7:30 a.m. Sept. 22. The Fire Department took care of the downed hydrant.
At around 8:30 a.m. Sept. 22, a broken window was discovered at the north side of the former Rich Port YMCA, 31 E. Ogden Ave. Plywood over the window was pried off and the outer of two windows was broken, but no entry was gained.
The unknown driver of a red Corvette was doing burnouts on the street in front of a house in the 700 block of South 12th Avenue on the morning and in the early evening of Sept. 20. In the evening incident, the car turfed the front lawn as well. A special watch was requested as the homeowner believes the trouble is related to a vandalized vehicle reported to Western Springs police two days earlier.
A post was reported on fire in a park at 53rd and Spring avenues shortly after 9 a.m. Sept. 19 and a car was reported on fire at Washington and Lincoln avenues shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18.
People crimes and what-not
An unknown woman seen walking in the middle of La Grange Road traffic between 47th and 55th streets during the early evening rush hour Sept. 22 prompted several 911 calls from passersby, but police never located her.
A 54-year-old homeless man from Elgin was told to go find another place to stay after he was found establishing residency under the Ogden Avenue bridge along Tilden Avenue and adjacent to the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad tracks at 5:40 p.m. Sept. 18. A day earlier, at about the same time, a 63-year-old homeless woman was sent elsewhere after someone complained she was panhandling outside of the Hallmark gift store at 4 W. Burlington Ave.
A 36-year-old Aurora man who called police to report he had been stabbed during a fight at Bluff and Harris avenues at about 8 p.m. Sept. 18 ended up refusing medical treatment when offered. Multiple 911 calls alerted cops to the fight, which was broken up by the time they arrived.
A 17-year-old Lyons Township High School student was treated for injuries when she hit her head while in the Vaughn Building on the North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 18.
Someone claimed they were jumped by two teens around 47th Street and 9th Avenue at about 8 .m. Sept. 17. The suspects were described as about 18 years old, each one wearing a white short, white hat and blue jeans and the other wearing a Navy blue polo shirt with a design on it. They were last seen in the 700 block of South 8th Avenue.
Two 23-year-old women were cited for simple battery after they got into a fight with each other behind a building in the 1000 block of South La Grange Road at about 3:40 p.m. Sept. 16. Cited were Danielle Zychowski of Justice and Ashley Ortega of Willow Springs.
Just this week, La Grange investigators were quick to the punch in breaking a case of five residential and vehicular break-ins in recent weeks with the Sept. 21 arrest of 19-year old Anthony Harris, of Chicago on five felony counts of burglary.
A resident called police early in the morning Sept. 20 to report two suspicious people in the 100 block of East Maple Avenue.
After a short foot chase of the suspects in the 300 block of South 7th Avenue, Harris was apprehended near 6th and Goodman avenues with some property he could not account for. A search of the area to determine the origin of the proceeds was conducted by La Grange officers with the assistance of Brookfield, La Grange Park, Countryside and Western Springs police.
A canine unit from the Darien Police Department also responded to the area.
A comprehensive search was conducted and the officers and investigators located burglaries in the first block of South Catherine Avenue and the 300 blocks of South Catherine and 7th avenues.
Harris was interrogated at the La Grange police station and two additional crime scenes were identified.
Evidence and property related to the burglaries has been recovered. The evidence included, but was not limited to purses, cell phones and other electronic devices.
However, Police Chief Michael Holub stated these latest cases may not be linked to others in the village earlier this summer.
"Although we have experienced previous burglaries or thefts in La Grange over the past several weeks, we do not believe Anthony Harris is involved in any of those prior cases," he stated.
Now, some happy news
A dog to remain nameless was reunited with its owner following a potentially tragic set of circumstances shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Seems the pet was being walked when it slipped away from its owner's grip and ran into traffic at 47th Street and 9th Avenue, obviously unaware there was a painted crosswalk right there. The dog was struck by the vehicle and became stuck beneath it, but eventually freed himself. Whew. Close call.
Unrelated thefts
Sometime between 11 p.m. Sept. 21 and 8:45 a.m. Sept. 22, a 2-foot-high-by-10-inch wide faux cement decorative lion on a square base was stolen from a front porch in the 200 block of South Kensington Avenue. The figure was valued at $50. Kid's bicycles were reported stolen from a front yard in the 200 block of South Kensington and the front porch of a home in the 100 block of South 8th Avenue, both on Sept. 18
Miscellaneous items were taken when a vehicle was burglarized in the overnight hours of Sept. 21 in the 900 block of South Catherine. Also that night, several articles were shuffled around inside a possibly unlocked vehicle as it was parked in the 300 block of South 6th Avenue, but nothing was reported stolen. In the overnight hours of Sept. 15, two vehicles were burglarized in the 800 block of South La Grange Road.
A white MacBook laptop computer and black IPod were stolen when burglars forcibly entered a locked door of a home in the 100 block of Edgewood Lane in the overnight hours of Sept. 20 and rifled through an entire room while the residents were away.
A resident of the 200 block of South Kensington also reported a burglary to his home after returning from vacation shortly before 9 a.m. Sept. 21, but it was unknown if entry was gained. A ladder taken out of an open side door of the garage was found propped up against the back of the house.
Yet another resident, this time in the 200 block of South Spring Avenue, told police that they heard a noise outside about 1:15 a.m. Sept. 20 and saw two subjects running through yards. Upon investigation, they found their basement window well uncovered and several paver bricks stacked on the side. No entry was gained.
Some (other) crimes go unpunished
A boy was spotted on the roof of the AT&T building at Calendar Court and Ashland Avenue throwing rocks at cars shortly after 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18. He later told police hr was waiting for hos father, who works there, to get off for the day.
That night, at about 9:30 p.m., someone called 911 from a cell phone to report a group of kids who somehow made their way up to the roof of Cossitt School, 115 E. Cossitt Ave. (this seems a regular occurrence), and decided to start playing dodgeball with another group of kids down below. They were seen leaving the area when police arrived.
And we thought summer was over. A group of kids seen bombing cars with eggs from just west of La Grange Road at Ogden Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. Sept. 18 could not be located.
The driver of a Waste Management truck was not ticketed when he rear ended and knocked over a fire hydrant in the first block of Beech Avenue at Shawmut Avenue in La Grange Park shortly before 7:30 a.m. Sept. 22. The Fire Department took care of the downed hydrant.
At around 8:30 a.m. Sept. 22, a broken window was discovered at the north side of the former Rich Port YMCA, 31 E. Ogden Ave. Plywood over the window was pried off and the outer of two windows was broken, but no entry was gained.
The unknown driver of a red Corvette was doing burnouts on the street in front of a house in the 700 block of South 12th Avenue on the morning and in the early evening of Sept. 20. In the evening incident, the car turfed the front lawn as well. A special watch was requested as the homeowner believes the trouble is related to a vandalized vehicle reported to Western Springs police two days earlier.
A post was reported on fire in a park at 53rd and Spring avenues shortly after 9 a.m. Sept. 19 and a car was reported on fire at Washington and Lincoln avenues shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18.
People crimes and what-not
An unknown woman seen walking in the middle of La Grange Road traffic between 47th and 55th streets during the early evening rush hour Sept. 22 prompted several 911 calls from passersby, but police never located her.
A 54-year-old homeless man from Elgin was told to go find another place to stay after he was found establishing residency under the Ogden Avenue bridge along Tilden Avenue and adjacent to the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad tracks at 5:40 p.m. Sept. 18. A day earlier, at about the same time, a 63-year-old homeless woman was sent elsewhere after someone complained she was panhandling outside of the Hallmark gift store at 4 W. Burlington Ave.
A 36-year-old Aurora man who called police to report he had been stabbed during a fight at Bluff and Harris avenues at about 8 p.m. Sept. 18 ended up refusing medical treatment when offered. Multiple 911 calls alerted cops to the fight, which was broken up by the time they arrived.
A 17-year-old Lyons Township High School student was treated for injuries when she hit her head while in the Vaughn Building on the North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., it was reported at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 18.
Someone claimed they were jumped by two teens around 47th Street and 9th Avenue at about 8 .m. Sept. 17. The suspects were described as about 18 years old, each one wearing a white short, white hat and blue jeans and the other wearing a Navy blue polo shirt with a design on it. They were last seen in the 700 block of South 8th Avenue.
Two 23-year-old women were cited for simple battery after they got into a fight with each other behind a building in the 1000 block of South La Grange Road at about 3:40 p.m. Sept. 16. Cited were Danielle Zychowski of Justice and Ashley Ortega of Willow Springs.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
MORE BURGLARIES, VANDALISM
The most noteworthy crime report of the past week or so, if not the most bizarre in nature, did not even occur in La Grange but in neighboring Brookfield. Still, the attempted armed robbery at the Dunkin' Donuts at Maple and Ogden avenues in the early morning hours of Sept. 1 did prompt the La Grange police to respond and help search for the suspect.
Police report a white male wearing a grey shirt and riding a bicycle walked into the 24-hour doughnut shop at 2:57 a.m. and tried to hold up the place with a pipe wrench. Upon his entry, all of the employees ran out a rear door. Shortly thereafter, the suspect also took off but without any money or food and is still at large.
A La Grange police officer received a hot tip from two subjects who wished to remain anonymous at about 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 that a possible shooting was to have occurred that night in the village. After verifying area residents were warned to stay off the streets, the officer learned a 36-year-old man from the 200 block of Sawyer Avenue was robbed and beaten by known offenders from La Grange that morning the incident could result in retaliation.
Almost a week earlier, on the evening of Sept. 9, the beating victim reported a burglary to his home. Stolen, he told police, were an assault rifle and various prescription medications.
Break-ins, thefts
No arrests were made when a break-in occurred at a home in the 700 block of South Waiola Avenue at 1:35 a.m. Sept. 11. An ADT residential alarm alerted police to the burglary, in which the offenders ran away out the rear door. Investigators and the Countryside canine unit were called out to assist in the search.
A 5-foot-3 white balding man named Chris came into the Pier One imports store, 15 N. La Grange Road, early in the business day Sept. 15 and unsuccessfully tried to return some merchandise with fake receipts. The matter was not turned over to police and, in fact, was not reported until hours, later but will be handled internally by the store's loss prevention staff, police said.
A video gaming system and other items were reported missing from an apartment unit in the first block of West Burlington Avenue that police learned is often unlocked. The report was filed shortly before 9 p.m. Sept. 10.
Someone entered a home in the 200 block of South Stone Avenue on Sept. 6 and took some items. The break-in was reported to police four days later.
A fence on the ComEd property in the 900 block of Hillgrove Avenue was cut and some cable was stolen, it was reported to police at 11:44 a.m. Sept. 15.
An unlocked boys royal blue 24-inch Magna bicycle was stolen from the 100 block of North Spring Avenue on Sept. 11. The theft was reported four days later.
An LCD projector was stolen in the overnight hours of Sept. 11 and 12 from the front yard of a home in the 400 block of East Maple Avenue, police said.
Vandalism
A decorative Chicago White Sox home plate sign was smashed to pieces and left out in the street in front of the same house in the 800 block of South 7th Avenue sometime between 5 p.m. Sept. 12 and noon Sept. 13. The sign was valued at $30.
A 50-year-old resident in the 100 block of Sawyer Avenue found paint balls on the inside of her back yard fence. There was no permanent damage.
A window was broken in a van parked in the first block of South Ashland Avenue, it was reported at 2:26 a.m. Sept. 11.
People stories
A special watch was requested about 8:30 p.m., also on Sept 15, based on a report that various subjects are rolling marijuana joints and smoking them in Sawyer Park at Lincoln and Washington avenues.
A resident of the first block of South Waiola Avenue called police shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sept.15 and reported a raccoon was stuck inside a garbage Dumpster behind her apartment building and could not get out because there was no waste inside for him to climb on and exit.
The animal was provided an escape route and was freed a few minutes later, police said.
Police are investigating a possible case of child neglect involving an infant in the first block of North Peck Avenue who suffered a broken femur shortly before 10 a.m. Sept. 11.
A 73-year-old resident of the 100 block of Hayes Avenue told police she was disrespected and harassed by a 14-year-old boy. When police came to look for him, he was gone.
A 70-year-old La Grange man also reported being harassed by a homeless man on a bicycle shortly before 11 a.m. Sept. 12 at Hillgrove and Madison avenues. When police arrived to investigate, the offender could not be found.
And on Sept. 9, a resident in the 700 block of South 6th Avenue told police a 50- to 60-year-old brunette homeless woman tried to get into her vehicle at about 4:30 p.m. that day. The offender, with missing teeth and wearing a red and white striped shirt and white Capri pants, was first seen in front of the victim's house when she asked for a ride. When she was refused, the transient woman then tried to get into the passenger seat as the victim left the area to call police. The victim was told to call police again if the woman returns.
A boy was allegedly bit by a dog at around 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in the 100 block of South 6th Avenue. The injury was reported two days later.
A 19-year-old La Grange woman reported Sept. 9 her identity was stolen when her Kohl's department store credit card went missing from her car back in April 2009. In later months, the card was illegally used in several unknown communities.
Police report a white male wearing a grey shirt and riding a bicycle walked into the 24-hour doughnut shop at 2:57 a.m. and tried to hold up the place with a pipe wrench. Upon his entry, all of the employees ran out a rear door. Shortly thereafter, the suspect also took off but without any money or food and is still at large.
A La Grange police officer received a hot tip from two subjects who wished to remain anonymous at about 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 that a possible shooting was to have occurred that night in the village. After verifying area residents were warned to stay off the streets, the officer learned a 36-year-old man from the 200 block of Sawyer Avenue was robbed and beaten by known offenders from La Grange that morning the incident could result in retaliation.
Almost a week earlier, on the evening of Sept. 9, the beating victim reported a burglary to his home. Stolen, he told police, were an assault rifle and various prescription medications.
Break-ins, thefts
No arrests were made when a break-in occurred at a home in the 700 block of South Waiola Avenue at 1:35 a.m. Sept. 11. An ADT residential alarm alerted police to the burglary, in which the offenders ran away out the rear door. Investigators and the Countryside canine unit were called out to assist in the search.
A 5-foot-3 white balding man named Chris came into the Pier One imports store, 15 N. La Grange Road, early in the business day Sept. 15 and unsuccessfully tried to return some merchandise with fake receipts. The matter was not turned over to police and, in fact, was not reported until hours, later but will be handled internally by the store's loss prevention staff, police said.
A video gaming system and other items were reported missing from an apartment unit in the first block of West Burlington Avenue that police learned is often unlocked. The report was filed shortly before 9 p.m. Sept. 10.
Someone entered a home in the 200 block of South Stone Avenue on Sept. 6 and took some items. The break-in was reported to police four days later.
A fence on the ComEd property in the 900 block of Hillgrove Avenue was cut and some cable was stolen, it was reported to police at 11:44 a.m. Sept. 15.
An unlocked boys royal blue 24-inch Magna bicycle was stolen from the 100 block of North Spring Avenue on Sept. 11. The theft was reported four days later.
An LCD projector was stolen in the overnight hours of Sept. 11 and 12 from the front yard of a home in the 400 block of East Maple Avenue, police said.
Vandalism
A decorative Chicago White Sox home plate sign was smashed to pieces and left out in the street in front of the same house in the 800 block of South 7th Avenue sometime between 5 p.m. Sept. 12 and noon Sept. 13. The sign was valued at $30.
A 50-year-old resident in the 100 block of Sawyer Avenue found paint balls on the inside of her back yard fence. There was no permanent damage.
A window was broken in a van parked in the first block of South Ashland Avenue, it was reported at 2:26 a.m. Sept. 11.
People stories
A special watch was requested about 8:30 p.m., also on Sept 15, based on a report that various subjects are rolling marijuana joints and smoking them in Sawyer Park at Lincoln and Washington avenues.
A resident of the first block of South Waiola Avenue called police shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sept.15 and reported a raccoon was stuck inside a garbage Dumpster behind her apartment building and could not get out because there was no waste inside for him to climb on and exit.
The animal was provided an escape route and was freed a few minutes later, police said.
Police are investigating a possible case of child neglect involving an infant in the first block of North Peck Avenue who suffered a broken femur shortly before 10 a.m. Sept. 11.
A 73-year-old resident of the 100 block of Hayes Avenue told police she was disrespected and harassed by a 14-year-old boy. When police came to look for him, he was gone.
A 70-year-old La Grange man also reported being harassed by a homeless man on a bicycle shortly before 11 a.m. Sept. 12 at Hillgrove and Madison avenues. When police arrived to investigate, the offender could not be found.
And on Sept. 9, a resident in the 700 block of South 6th Avenue told police a 50- to 60-year-old brunette homeless woman tried to get into her vehicle at about 4:30 p.m. that day. The offender, with missing teeth and wearing a red and white striped shirt and white Capri pants, was first seen in front of the victim's house when she asked for a ride. When she was refused, the transient woman then tried to get into the passenger seat as the victim left the area to call police. The victim was told to call police again if the woman returns.
A boy was allegedly bit by a dog at around 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in the 100 block of South 6th Avenue. The injury was reported two days later.
A 19-year-old La Grange woman reported Sept. 9 her identity was stolen when her Kohl's department store credit card went missing from her car back in April 2009. In later months, the card was illegally used in several unknown communities.
Fire call
A resident cleaning a kitchen oven inside a house in the 800 block of South 7th Avenue alerted the La Grange Fire Department the room filled up with smoke. There was no fire and a fan was provided to air out the home.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
LA GRANGE KID BUSTED FOR BREAK-INS
A 16-year-old La Grange boy was one of a tri0 of teens who were arrested this past week for brazenly entering several homes in Brookfield to burglarize them in recent days. Although the high schooler and a 14-year-old partner-in-crime from Brookfield were not identified by police because they are being petitioned to Cook County Juvenile Court, their 17-year-old alleged accomplice, Aurelio Ortega, also of Brookfield, is being tried as an adult. Following a Sept. 8 bond hearing at the Maybrook Courthouse in Maywood, Ortega was held on a $200,o00 bond in the Cook County Jail. Each of the alleged offenders' roles in the series of early morning home break-ins was not yet revealed, but each is being charged with four counts of residential burglary.
The most recent home invasion occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, in which a home in the 4400 block of South Blanchan Avenue (that's just one block east of La Grange) was entered while residents were asleep. Stolen were a laptop computer, a cellular telephone and several DVDs. Also on Sept. 4, an LCD television set and wallet were stolen from a home in the 4400 block of South Raymond Avenue. Two other burglaries, in which cash was stolen, occurred on Aug. 28 and Sept. 1, police said.
And elsewhere in La Grange ...
A 32-year-old Brookfield man recently suspended from patron privileges for a year at the La Grange Public Library for breaking an undisclosed rule returned to the facility, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., on Sept. 5 and made a veiled bomb threat. Library Director Jeanne Dilger-Hill told police on the morning of Sept. 8 that the man threatened to blow up the place after being kicked out a day earlier. In the heat of an argument, he allegedly made a statement in reference to "blowing up the building" but attempted nothing of the sort. In fact, library officials told police they did not believe the man would follow through with the threat. Police cautioned them to alert them if the man, whose name was also undisclosed, returns again.
A burglar alarm was activated at St. James Community Baptist Church, 241 Sawyer Ave., at about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 8 alerting police that glass was breaking in a study and the north and west master bedrooms. Police responded and found the exterior secure.
Burglar alarms also were activated numerous times at Gurrie Middle School, 1001 S. Spring Ave. A cafeteria door exit was compromised at 1:40 a.m. Sept. 7, 6 p.m. Sept. 6 and at 9:50 p.m. and 5:06 a.m. Sept. 5. Each time the building was deemed secure. However, a 911 caller alerted police to kids playing on the school roof shortly after 7 p.m. Sept. 5 and the vagrants took off as police were arriving.
A GPS unit and money were reported stolen from a silver Lexus as it was parked in the 1000 block of South Madison Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4. It was not known if the vehicle was locked, but the break-in occurred during the previous night.
Several bicycles were stolen recently, including a boys grey sparkled Mongoose BMX-type bike with black lettering which was chained to a pole behind a building in the first block of La Grange Road at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and discovered missing at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 7. A 16-inch grey Diamondback with a black design left unlocked outside Chipotle, 1 S. La Grange Road, was taken at about 9 p.m. Sept. 5, it was reported the next afternoon. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5, a locked 17-inch red Raleigh Comfort bike valued at $329 was reported stolen from Brainard and Burlington avenues. A bicycle also was taken from outside Borders, 1 N. La Grange Road, on Sept. 3.
Four boys escaped out a rear door of Santiago's Mexican restaurant, 9 S. La Grange Road, without paying their $35 food bill sh0rtly after 9 p.m. Sept. 3. Police said the boys, who were not arrested, walked out with the bill in hand and were last seen southbound down the alley between La Grange Road and Sixth Avenue. One of the boys was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt.
A 17-year-old Countryside girl, a student at Lyons Township High School's North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., was caught with an alleged marijuana smell on her on at 12:40 p.m. Sept. 2. Police said the girl tested positive for the drug, but faced no charges. The incident will be handled internally by the school.
Police on routine patrol Sept. 2 discovered open garage and house doors and windows too numerous to mention and bicycles not put away outside several homes. And we wonder why there have been so many thefts and burglaries lately.
A resident in the 600 block of South Kensington Avenue reported her cars were egged by unknown vandals at about 10:15p.m. Sept. 6.
In addition, a resident in the 300 block of South Peck Avenue said her land telephone line stopped working at 4 p.m. Sept. 4. When the phone company came out, they found wires had been ripped out from the phone box on the south side of the house.
Strange but true
Last but not least, a 10- to 12-year-old La Grange boy was spotted by a neighbor driving a white Pontiac down westbound Calendar Avenue from Washington Avenue at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 6, but police could not locate the boy or the car.
To top that off, it seems 34-year-old Frank DeMichel of Roselle may have been celebrating his birthday a week early last weekend. The driver was treated at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital for undisclosed injuries he suffered when he drove his black car into a light pole at the southwest corner of East and Ogden avenues on the night of Sept. 5. Several 911 calls alerted police to the crash and the downed traffic light and DeMichel was arrested on charges of drunken driving and several other traffic violations.
The most recent home invasion occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, in which a home in the 4400 block of South Blanchan Avenue (that's just one block east of La Grange) was entered while residents were asleep. Stolen were a laptop computer, a cellular telephone and several DVDs. Also on Sept. 4, an LCD television set and wallet were stolen from a home in the 4400 block of South Raymond Avenue. Two other burglaries, in which cash was stolen, occurred on Aug. 28 and Sept. 1, police said.
And elsewhere in La Grange ...
A 32-year-old Brookfield man recently suspended from patron privileges for a year at the La Grange Public Library for breaking an undisclosed rule returned to the facility, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., on Sept. 5 and made a veiled bomb threat. Library Director Jeanne Dilger-Hill told police on the morning of Sept. 8 that the man threatened to blow up the place after being kicked out a day earlier. In the heat of an argument, he allegedly made a statement in reference to "blowing up the building" but attempted nothing of the sort. In fact, library officials told police they did not believe the man would follow through with the threat. Police cautioned them to alert them if the man, whose name was also undisclosed, returns again.
A burglar alarm was activated at St. James Community Baptist Church, 241 Sawyer Ave., at about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 8 alerting police that glass was breaking in a study and the north and west master bedrooms. Police responded and found the exterior secure.
Burglar alarms also were activated numerous times at Gurrie Middle School, 1001 S. Spring Ave. A cafeteria door exit was compromised at 1:40 a.m. Sept. 7, 6 p.m. Sept. 6 and at 9:50 p.m. and 5:06 a.m. Sept. 5. Each time the building was deemed secure. However, a 911 caller alerted police to kids playing on the school roof shortly after 7 p.m. Sept. 5 and the vagrants took off as police were arriving.
A GPS unit and money were reported stolen from a silver Lexus as it was parked in the 1000 block of South Madison Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4. It was not known if the vehicle was locked, but the break-in occurred during the previous night.
Several bicycles were stolen recently, including a boys grey sparkled Mongoose BMX-type bike with black lettering which was chained to a pole behind a building in the first block of La Grange Road at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and discovered missing at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 7. A 16-inch grey Diamondback with a black design left unlocked outside Chipotle, 1 S. La Grange Road, was taken at about 9 p.m. Sept. 5, it was reported the next afternoon. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5, a locked 17-inch red Raleigh Comfort bike valued at $329 was reported stolen from Brainard and Burlington avenues. A bicycle also was taken from outside Borders, 1 N. La Grange Road, on Sept. 3.
Four boys escaped out a rear door of Santiago's Mexican restaurant, 9 S. La Grange Road, without paying their $35 food bill sh0rtly after 9 p.m. Sept. 3. Police said the boys, who were not arrested, walked out with the bill in hand and were last seen southbound down the alley between La Grange Road and Sixth Avenue. One of the boys was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt.
A 17-year-old Countryside girl, a student at Lyons Township High School's North campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave., was caught with an alleged marijuana smell on her on at 12:40 p.m. Sept. 2. Police said the girl tested positive for the drug, but faced no charges. The incident will be handled internally by the school.
Police on routine patrol Sept. 2 discovered open garage and house doors and windows too numerous to mention and bicycles not put away outside several homes. And we wonder why there have been so many thefts and burglaries lately.
A resident in the 600 block of South Kensington Avenue reported her cars were egged by unknown vandals at about 10:15p.m. Sept. 6.
In addition, a resident in the 300 block of South Peck Avenue said her land telephone line stopped working at 4 p.m. Sept. 4. When the phone company came out, they found wires had been ripped out from the phone box on the south side of the house.
Strange but true
Last but not least, a 10- to 12-year-old La Grange boy was spotted by a neighbor driving a white Pontiac down westbound Calendar Avenue from Washington Avenue at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 6, but police could not locate the boy or the car.
To top that off, it seems 34-year-old Frank DeMichel of Roselle may have been celebrating his birthday a week early last weekend. The driver was treated at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital for undisclosed injuries he suffered when he drove his black car into a light pole at the southwest corner of East and Ogden avenues on the night of Sept. 5. Several 911 calls alerted police to the crash and the downed traffic light and DeMichel was arrested on charges of drunken driving and several other traffic violations.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
STEVE KNEIFEL BACK IN TOWN; OTHER NEWS
FIRST and foremost, we'd like to take the time to welcome back home La Grange Police Officer Steve Kneifel, who has spent the past nine months from his deployment with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
Steve, who arrived home to take care of his wife and family a week or two ago, has been busy tending to family matters, but was back in action serving La Grange this week. His wife is ill and we wish her the best in her treatment and recovery.
The Police Department is giving him a big Welcome Home celebration with a party on Friday, Sept. 11 at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange.
Stay tuned to this site for details.
In the meantime, anyone who would like to volunteer with the arrangements (or contribute food or provisions) is asked to call Police Chief Mike Holub or Jane Coleman at (708) 579-2333.
Now on to (less) important things, namely this week's police blotter:
There's been a spate of car burglaries, bicycle thefts and odd goings-on in La Grange including people hearing footsteps in their (haunted?) houses and one lady who claims hundreds of men are headed to town to get her. Oh well, the day in the life of a cop.
An employee of the Balkan Bakery (which we didn't even know existed), 541 S. La Grange Road, arrived for work shortly before 4 a.m. Sept. 2 to find the front door window busted. No entry was gained.
A 60-year-old resident in the 800 block of South Catherine Avenue reported to police that after she turned off her television for the night and headed to bed at about 11:45 p.m. Sept. 1, she heard footsteps on the second floor of her house. Police responded and found nothing disturbed.
.
However, oddly enough, a vehicle was burglarized, also in the 800 block of South Catherine, in the overnight hours of Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The car was rifled through and change was stolen. Another vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, was burglarized as it was parked on the night of Aug. 28 in the 900 block of South Waiola Avenue.
Yet, even more strange were the claims of a 39-year-old woman in the 300 block of South Stone Avenue, who reported at 1:50 p.m. Aug. 31 that she heard footsteps in the upstairs of her house. Police again found no signs of entry and nothing disturbed.
A boy's red felt Heretic dirt bike with 20-inch wheels was stolen outside Cossitt School, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., sometime after 8 p.m. Aug. 29, it was reported two days later. The boy left it there unlocked and it was gone when he returned to retrieve it. That same weekend, a grey and red Schwinn boys mountain bike was reported stolen, but on Aug. 30. The theft, from the 600 block of South 8th Avenue, was reported at 4 p.m. the following day. And sometime between 10 p.m. Aug. 28 and 11 a.m. Aug. 2`9, a boys bike was ripped off from a yard in the 500 block of South Ashland Avenue.The black Fitbike, with 18-inch wheels, was valued at $250.
However, a boys red Schwinn Safari bicycle was found in front of a house in the first block of Drexel Avenue. Police picked it up the following day.
Word to the (un?)wise: If something of yours is stolen, report it missing immediately, not a day or two later.
Bad news
Unknown pranksters vandalized the grounds of Cossitt Elementary School over the weekend. The damage, discovered Aug. 30, included non-gang graffiti, beer bottles on the playground, drawings from colored wood chips in playground and fence supports removed from a pump near the playground. There was no permanent damage reported.
A resident of the 900 block of South Kensington Avenue said they caught a teenage boy going through their vehicle shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 30. The boy, last seen walking away toward 52nd Street, was wearing a dark-colored jacket or shirt and shorts. Nothing was stolen.
A resident of the first block of South Ashland reported mail missing from his mailbox on Aug. 29.
A resident of the 700 block of Mason Drive reported Aug. 31 that over the past two months, her two vehicles have been damaged, once by being scratched over their entire surface and again when someone used a cigarette to burn the finish.
Bizarre behavior
Police could not make any arrests after a resident of the 500 block of South La Grange Road called at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 30 to report some upstairs tenants were throwing bricks -- yes, bricks -- at the building.
A resident of the first block of South 6th Avenue found small pieces of paper in front of his condominium with disturbing, rambling misspelled words referencing weapons, a female name and a DuPage County elementary school, a teacher and a specific date. Police forwarded the item to a regional police dispatch center.
Police are also investigating a report that a 14-year-old girl from the 500 block of South La Grange Road was dropped off at home by unknown men in an intoxicated state on Aug. 30. The girl's mother filed the report Aug. 30.
A student at Cossitt Elementary School, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., found a Ziploc-type bag containing a small amount of marijuana at the school, it was reported to police shortly after 4 p.m. Sept. 1. It was not known how it got there or to whom it belonged.
Over the course of two days and nights -- Aug. 30 and 31 -- a 37-year-old Bellwood woman tried to convince police that unknown men were out to get her and cause her and her children and other people's children harm. The claims started at 8:18 a.m. Aug. 30, when she called police from her mother's house in the 300 block of East Franklin Avenue to suggest friends of her ex-boyfriend threatened to "shoot up the place" and would arrive wearing blue, red or orange clothing. At about 8 p.m. that night, an anonymous caller believed to be the same woman told police some man was going to burn down her house and go to all the schools in La Grange to hurt kids, before she abruptly hung up. Her mother told police the daughter thought "hundreds of men" were after her, trying to hurt her. The following morning, her sister called to tell police the woman was at Cossitt School at 9 a.m. speaking to a social worker and to visit her children who are in the legal custody of her mother and sister. She returned an hour later, gave police eight license plate numbers and advised the men driving those cars were coming to the school. Earlier that morning, she contacted police to tell them "swarms of men" were coming to town to hurt children, wearing red, blue or orange clothing. Police could not locate any such people and found no order of protection barring the woman from school grounds. Hmm.
Fire calls
Firefighters extinguished an oven fire that broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Aug. 30 in the 600 block of Edgewood Lane.
Breaking news
A 34-year-old La Grange resident was one of two women shot at with BB-type guns as they walked down a Riverside street on the morning of Sept. 2 -- and police said the alleged offenders were four Riverside-Brookfield High School varsity football players.
The unidentified woman, who was the only one struck, sustained a large welt in her left hip and was treated at the scene by Riverside paramedics after they called police and provided a partial license plate number of a vehicle they witnessed driving away. The incident occurred about 11:30 a.m.
The other woman with her was not injured, but she told police she felt a pellet fly past her face, police said.
The students, whose names are being withheld until the investigation is complete, are all facing possible battery charges. At the time of their arrest, they were still wearing their football jerseys because they were at practice that morning.
The four teens had Airsoft guns in their possession, including one pistol and two rifles with orange tips on the barrels which fire hard, round plastic pellets, according to police. The fourth weapon looked like a shotgun and had no orange tip, said police, an indication they remarked could have made them return fire.
R-B students are still on summer vacation, and are scheduled to return to school next week due to ongoing building renovations.
Steve, who arrived home to take care of his wife and family a week or two ago, has been busy tending to family matters, but was back in action serving La Grange this week. His wife is ill and we wish her the best in her treatment and recovery.
The Police Department is giving him a big Welcome Home celebration with a party on Friday, Sept. 11 at the Robert Coulter American Legion Post in La Grange.
Stay tuned to this site for details.
In the meantime, anyone who would like to volunteer with the arrangements (or contribute food or provisions) is asked to call Police Chief Mike Holub or Jane Coleman at (708) 579-2333.
Now on to (less) important things, namely this week's police blotter:
There's been a spate of car burglaries, bicycle thefts and odd goings-on in La Grange including people hearing footsteps in their (haunted?) houses and one lady who claims hundreds of men are headed to town to get her. Oh well, the day in the life of a cop.
An employee of the Balkan Bakery (which we didn't even know existed), 541 S. La Grange Road, arrived for work shortly before 4 a.m. Sept. 2 to find the front door window busted. No entry was gained.
A 60-year-old resident in the 800 block of South Catherine Avenue reported to police that after she turned off her television for the night and headed to bed at about 11:45 p.m. Sept. 1, she heard footsteps on the second floor of her house. Police responded and found nothing disturbed.
.
However, oddly enough, a vehicle was burglarized, also in the 800 block of South Catherine, in the overnight hours of Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The car was rifled through and change was stolen. Another vehicle, a Chevy Suburban, was burglarized as it was parked on the night of Aug. 28 in the 900 block of South Waiola Avenue.
Yet, even more strange were the claims of a 39-year-old woman in the 300 block of South Stone Avenue, who reported at 1:50 p.m. Aug. 31 that she heard footsteps in the upstairs of her house. Police again found no signs of entry and nothing disturbed.
A boy's red felt Heretic dirt bike with 20-inch wheels was stolen outside Cossitt School, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., sometime after 8 p.m. Aug. 29, it was reported two days later. The boy left it there unlocked and it was gone when he returned to retrieve it. That same weekend, a grey and red Schwinn boys mountain bike was reported stolen, but on Aug. 30. The theft, from the 600 block of South 8th Avenue, was reported at 4 p.m. the following day. And sometime between 10 p.m. Aug. 28 and 11 a.m. Aug. 2`9, a boys bike was ripped off from a yard in the 500 block of South Ashland Avenue.The black Fitbike, with 18-inch wheels, was valued at $250.
However, a boys red Schwinn Safari bicycle was found in front of a house in the first block of Drexel Avenue. Police picked it up the following day.
Word to the (un?)wise: If something of yours is stolen, report it missing immediately, not a day or two later.
Bad news
Unknown pranksters vandalized the grounds of Cossitt Elementary School over the weekend. The damage, discovered Aug. 30, included non-gang graffiti, beer bottles on the playground, drawings from colored wood chips in playground and fence supports removed from a pump near the playground. There was no permanent damage reported.
A resident of the 900 block of South Kensington Avenue said they caught a teenage boy going through their vehicle shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 30. The boy, last seen walking away toward 52nd Street, was wearing a dark-colored jacket or shirt and shorts. Nothing was stolen.
A resident of the first block of South Ashland reported mail missing from his mailbox on Aug. 29.
A resident of the 700 block of Mason Drive reported Aug. 31 that over the past two months, her two vehicles have been damaged, once by being scratched over their entire surface and again when someone used a cigarette to burn the finish.
Bizarre behavior
Police could not make any arrests after a resident of the 500 block of South La Grange Road called at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 30 to report some upstairs tenants were throwing bricks -- yes, bricks -- at the building.
A resident of the first block of South 6th Avenue found small pieces of paper in front of his condominium with disturbing, rambling misspelled words referencing weapons, a female name and a DuPage County elementary school, a teacher and a specific date. Police forwarded the item to a regional police dispatch center.
Police are also investigating a report that a 14-year-old girl from the 500 block of South La Grange Road was dropped off at home by unknown men in an intoxicated state on Aug. 30. The girl's mother filed the report Aug. 30.
A student at Cossitt Elementary School, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., found a Ziploc-type bag containing a small amount of marijuana at the school, it was reported to police shortly after 4 p.m. Sept. 1. It was not known how it got there or to whom it belonged.
Over the course of two days and nights -- Aug. 30 and 31 -- a 37-year-old Bellwood woman tried to convince police that unknown men were out to get her and cause her and her children and other people's children harm. The claims started at 8:18 a.m. Aug. 30, when she called police from her mother's house in the 300 block of East Franklin Avenue to suggest friends of her ex-boyfriend threatened to "shoot up the place" and would arrive wearing blue, red or orange clothing. At about 8 p.m. that night, an anonymous caller believed to be the same woman told police some man was going to burn down her house and go to all the schools in La Grange to hurt kids, before she abruptly hung up. Her mother told police the daughter thought "hundreds of men" were after her, trying to hurt her. The following morning, her sister called to tell police the woman was at Cossitt School at 9 a.m. speaking to a social worker and to visit her children who are in the legal custody of her mother and sister. She returned an hour later, gave police eight license plate numbers and advised the men driving those cars were coming to the school. Earlier that morning, she contacted police to tell them "swarms of men" were coming to town to hurt children, wearing red, blue or orange clothing. Police could not locate any such people and found no order of protection barring the woman from school grounds. Hmm.
Fire calls
Firefighters extinguished an oven fire that broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Aug. 30 in the 600 block of Edgewood Lane.
Breaking news
A 34-year-old La Grange resident was one of two women shot at with BB-type guns as they walked down a Riverside street on the morning of Sept. 2 -- and police said the alleged offenders were four Riverside-Brookfield High School varsity football players.
The unidentified woman, who was the only one struck, sustained a large welt in her left hip and was treated at the scene by Riverside paramedics after they called police and provided a partial license plate number of a vehicle they witnessed driving away. The incident occurred about 11:30 a.m.
The other woman with her was not injured, but she told police she felt a pellet fly past her face, police said.
The students, whose names are being withheld until the investigation is complete, are all facing possible battery charges. At the time of their arrest, they were still wearing their football jerseys because they were at practice that morning.
The four teens had Airsoft guns in their possession, including one pistol and two rifles with orange tips on the barrels which fire hard, round plastic pellets, according to police. The fourth weapon looked like a shotgun and had no orange tip, said police, an indication they remarked could have made them return fire.
R-B students are still on summer vacation, and are scheduled to return to school next week due to ongoing building renovations.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
BURGLARIES, ACCIDENTS, VANDALISM
A mixture of crimes, accidents and fire calls kept La Grange and La Grange Park police and firefighters busy this past week or so.
A resident in the 500 block of South Madison Avenue awoke shortly after 8 a.m. Aug. 26 to discover someone broke into their locked car overnight and stole a purse. The resident said she heard the car alarm go off sometime during the night and turned it off with her electronic key ring from inside the house.
Someone rifled through a La Grange woman's Honda in the 200 block of North Catherine Avenue in the overnight hours of Aug. 22 and 23, it was reported at 11:18 a.m. Aug. 23. Nothing was reported missing.
A brick was thrown at a vehicle belonging to a 60-year-old woman in the 900 block of South 7th Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. Aug. 22.
Someone attempted to break into a house in the first block of Dover Avenue, it was reported at 11:15 a.m. Aug. 23. No entry was gained.
A man from unincorporated La Grange Highlands came to the La Grange Police Department at 2:45 p.m. Aug. 25 to report his 16-year-old son is a runaway and often frequents the village's downtown business district. Police took his information in case the boy is found.
Sarah Welge, 21, of 938 S. Spring Ave., told police she struck her wheelchair-bound brother, Jason Welge, 24, while backing up a vehicle at home at about 6 p.m. Aug. 25. The brother, who told police he could not feel anything, was transported to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital for observation. No tickets were issued.
Graffiti was discovered by the main entrance to the Cossitt Elementary School playground, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., shortly before 8 a.m. Aug. 24.
A substance believed to be pizza was found smeared all over an elevator control panel and the back wall of the elevator inside the downtown parking garage, 80 S. 6th Ave. The vandalism, which caused no permanent damage, was discovered shortly before 3:15 a.m. Aug. 23.
Something fishy
A 42-year-old resident of the 5000 block of South Brainard Avenue told police someone stuck a dead fish wrapped in a brown paper bag between his front and screen doors sometime between 7 a.m. Aug. 23 and 10:30 a.m, Aug. 24. The man said he suspected his ex-wife's husband, although no arrests were made.
Flower fire?
Yes, indeed. A fire was discovered in a flower box on the southwest corner of a building at Brewster Avenue and La Grange Road in neighboring La Grange Park shortly after 8 a.m. Aug. 23. aGrange firefighters who responded to the call said papers were on fire in the planter and were quickly extinguished.
La Grange Park
A 2003 Buick Century belonging to an 80-year-old woman in the 1000 block of Barnsdale Road was stolen from her apartment parking lot, it was reported at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 14. Police said the woman's occasional live-in 20-year-old nephew was suspected of taking the car without permission using an extra set of keys. The vehicle was located in Maywood at 12:50 a.m. Aug. 15.
A resident in the 500 block of South Madison Avenue awoke shortly after 8 a.m. Aug. 26 to discover someone broke into their locked car overnight and stole a purse. The resident said she heard the car alarm go off sometime during the night and turned it off with her electronic key ring from inside the house.
Someone rifled through a La Grange woman's Honda in the 200 block of North Catherine Avenue in the overnight hours of Aug. 22 and 23, it was reported at 11:18 a.m. Aug. 23. Nothing was reported missing.
A brick was thrown at a vehicle belonging to a 60-year-old woman in the 900 block of South 7th Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. Aug. 22.
Someone attempted to break into a house in the first block of Dover Avenue, it was reported at 11:15 a.m. Aug. 23. No entry was gained.
A man from unincorporated La Grange Highlands came to the La Grange Police Department at 2:45 p.m. Aug. 25 to report his 16-year-old son is a runaway and often frequents the village's downtown business district. Police took his information in case the boy is found.
Sarah Welge, 21, of 938 S. Spring Ave., told police she struck her wheelchair-bound brother, Jason Welge, 24, while backing up a vehicle at home at about 6 p.m. Aug. 25. The brother, who told police he could not feel anything, was transported to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital for observation. No tickets were issued.
Graffiti was discovered by the main entrance to the Cossitt Elementary School playground, 115 W. Cossitt Ave., shortly before 8 a.m. Aug. 24.
A substance believed to be pizza was found smeared all over an elevator control panel and the back wall of the elevator inside the downtown parking garage, 80 S. 6th Ave. The vandalism, which caused no permanent damage, was discovered shortly before 3:15 a.m. Aug. 23.
Something fishy
A 42-year-old resident of the 5000 block of South Brainard Avenue told police someone stuck a dead fish wrapped in a brown paper bag between his front and screen doors sometime between 7 a.m. Aug. 23 and 10:30 a.m, Aug. 24. The man said he suspected his ex-wife's husband, although no arrests were made.
Flower fire?
Yes, indeed. A fire was discovered in a flower box on the southwest corner of a building at Brewster Avenue and La Grange Road in neighboring La Grange Park shortly after 8 a.m. Aug. 23. aGrange firefighters who responded to the call said papers were on fire in the planter and were quickly extinguished.
La Grange Park
A 2003 Buick Century belonging to an 80-year-old woman in the 1000 block of Barnsdale Road was stolen from her apartment parking lot, it was reported at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 14. Police said the woman's occasional live-in 20-year-old nephew was suspected of taking the car without permission using an extra set of keys. The vehicle was located in Maywood at 12:50 a.m. Aug. 15.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
NEW SPEED LIMIT FOR 47TH STREET
Pedestrians crossing 47th Street between East Avenue at La Grange's border with Brookfield and McCook and Willow Springs Road at its border with Western Springs now have a greater safety measure on their side.
In addition to newly improved crosswalks and handicapped curb cuts in some sections of the state thoroughfare, the four-lane roadway is now posted -- as of Aug. 24 -- with new 30 mph speed limit signs, replacing the former 35 mph signs.
The new speed limit and appropriate signage was recently approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation at the request of the village, following the fatal accident just three months ago that claimed the life of a Countryside mother.
Cari Cook, 30, had been crossing the street at 8th Avenue, with her daughter in a baby stroller in front of her and her son and family dog in tow when she was struck by a passing motorist. That driver received traffic citations as a result, pleaded guilty in court and received probation.
The speed limit change was approved thanks to the bipartisan lobbying efforts of state Representatives Michael Zalewski and James Durkin, said Village President Liz Asperger at the Aug. 24 Village Board meeting.
"This has been a long effort ... by our staff," she said. "This is something we're very pleased to be able to enact as school comes back in session."
At the same meeting, trustees authorized a consultant group, KLOA, to study the appropriateness of speed adjustments along 47th Street -- where staff is suggesting a possible rollback to as low as 25 mph.
A resident of the 600 block of La Grange Road, who previously warned the board of federal studies which show a reduction of speed actually results in more accidents, cautioned village officials not to ask the consultant to study the impact of certain speeds. Asperger said she would take his request under consideration.
"I'm all for effective speed (adjustments) ... but the request for studies should be left very generic," the resident said. "You've asked KLOA to consider 30 or 25 mph, but we should ask them to evaluate appropriate speeds. I think the best way is not to say what we want speed limits to be."
Another resident, from the 600 block of South Edgewood Avenue, implored trustees to not just focus on 47th, but on the village's border with Western Springs where students cross Willow Springs Road to access Lyons Township High School's South campus.
See the big story regarding school and traffic safety in La Grange in The News this Wednesday.
In addition to newly improved crosswalks and handicapped curb cuts in some sections of the state thoroughfare, the four-lane roadway is now posted -- as of Aug. 24 -- with new 30 mph speed limit signs, replacing the former 35 mph signs.
The new speed limit and appropriate signage was recently approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation at the request of the village, following the fatal accident just three months ago that claimed the life of a Countryside mother.
Cari Cook, 30, had been crossing the street at 8th Avenue, with her daughter in a baby stroller in front of her and her son and family dog in tow when she was struck by a passing motorist. That driver received traffic citations as a result, pleaded guilty in court and received probation.
The speed limit change was approved thanks to the bipartisan lobbying efforts of state Representatives Michael Zalewski and James Durkin, said Village President Liz Asperger at the Aug. 24 Village Board meeting.
"This has been a long effort ... by our staff," she said. "This is something we're very pleased to be able to enact as school comes back in session."
At the same meeting, trustees authorized a consultant group, KLOA, to study the appropriateness of speed adjustments along 47th Street -- where staff is suggesting a possible rollback to as low as 25 mph.
A resident of the 600 block of La Grange Road, who previously warned the board of federal studies which show a reduction of speed actually results in more accidents, cautioned village officials not to ask the consultant to study the impact of certain speeds. Asperger said she would take his request under consideration.
"I'm all for effective speed (adjustments) ... but the request for studies should be left very generic," the resident said. "You've asked KLOA to consider 30 or 25 mph, but we should ask them to evaluate appropriate speeds. I think the best way is not to say what we want speed limits to be."
Another resident, from the 600 block of South Edgewood Avenue, implored trustees to not just focus on 47th, but on the village's border with Western Springs where students cross Willow Springs Road to access Lyons Township High School's South campus.
See the big story regarding school and traffic safety in La Grange in The News this Wednesday.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
THIS WEEK'S COP STORIES
For this week's biggest crime story, see The News.
Police are reporting no new developments in the string of thefts and burglaries that have occurred in recent weeks to resident's homes, cars and garages, but some thefts and general mayhem has been reported of late.
A male black with a light mustache, about 35 years of age, got away after stealing a carton of cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 201 W. Hillgrove Ave. at about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 19. The suspect, whom police could not locate, was wearing a Chicago Bears jersey and blue jeans at the time.
A Public Works Department employee on his morning rounds Aug. 18 discovered graffiti on planter boxes near the downtown fountain at 53 S. La Grange Road. The marker or carton etching was simply the word "zero." The vandalism was found just before 9 a.m. Non-gang graffiti, written with a black marker, was also discovered on the back exit door of a store in the first block of Burlington Avenue, it was reported just before 1 p.m. Aug. 17. And at 9:41 p.m. Aug. 15, a resident of the 300 block of East Lincoln Avenue reported one of their landscaping lights was vandalized and found in a lawn about three houses away. It was believed kids on their way to the downtown business district may be responsible for the damage.
Although not as destructive as graffiti or vandalism, a vehicle was egged on 41st Street just west of Dover Avenue at about 3:40 a.m. Aug. 20. But just as bad three days earlier, a resident in the 900 block of South 8th Avenue reported their 2009 Nissan Versa was keyed sometime between Aug. 7 and 15. The same vehicle was keyed in two previous incidents.
Someone's storage unit was also broken into for the third time in the past two weeks, it was reported just before 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13. The break-in occurred in the first block of South Spring Avenue. And over in La Grange Park, an alarm was activated at a residence in the 600 block of North Kensington Avenue at 2:26 a.m. Aug. 15. When police arrived, they found a rear door ajar.
Bricks were reported stolen from a construction site in the Avenue, it was reported shortly before 10 a.m. Aug. 19. Two days earlier, someone went outfirst block of West Cossitt Avenue to their car at about 10:30 a.m. to find it had been burglarized overnight. Several items were reported missing.
News of the weird
Someone threw a wet telephone book at a patio window in the 800 block of South La Grange Road just before 8 p.m. Aug. 17. Go figure.
A Riverside woman was driving underneath the Ogden Avenue bridge at Tilden and Shawmut avenues at about 9 p.m. Aug. 13 when she reported "some type of substance" was dropped on her car from up above. Turns out it was an egg and, of course, there was no permanent damage.
Oddly enough, a 16-year-old Countryside boy was cited with two disorderly conduct ordinance tickets after someone witnessed him running from the same intersection (as above) just as their car got hit with an egg. David Holloway, of 5700 S. Madison Ave., was located by police at Calendar and Washington avenues, ticketed and turned over to his mother.
Poor kitty
An obviously distraught Elm Avenue resident learned the whereabouts of her reported missing cat on the afternoon of Aug. 19, when the pet's leather collar was returned to her. Seems a Public Works Department employee brought in to the Police Department the collar with a heart tag attached to it, informing them the cat was found to have been disposed of in a Dumpster behind their facility on East Avenue that day. The owner was told the cat was involved in an accident.
A 16-year-old boy and his friend told police they were riding their bicycles in the parking lot of McDonald's, 100 N. La Grange Road, shortly before 10 p.m. Aug. 18 when a woman in a silver Mitsubishi tried to hit them with her vehicle before she took off west on Ogden Avenue. One of the boys said she struck his foot. The woman, about 30, was wearing a red shirt, but police called to the scene were unable to locate any such person.
Peeping Tom?
A resident of the 200 block of South 7th Avenue told police a neighbor called to tell him they saw a tall white man in his 20s or 30s looking into the porch windows of his house at about 10:55 p.m. Aug. 17. The man was wearing a t-shirt with red lettering or a design on it and a large star on the back.
Don't leave the kids in the car
Two ordinance violation tickets were issued to mother Sheila Hoffman of 301 Bluff Ave., Apt. 2E in La Grange, after a 911 caller reported seeing a black Ford with an unattended infant in the passenger seat while it was parked near La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue at about 10:10 p.m. Aug. 14. Oops?
Police are reporting no new developments in the string of thefts and burglaries that have occurred in recent weeks to resident's homes, cars and garages, but some thefts and general mayhem has been reported of late.
A male black with a light mustache, about 35 years of age, got away after stealing a carton of cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 201 W. Hillgrove Ave. at about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 19. The suspect, whom police could not locate, was wearing a Chicago Bears jersey and blue jeans at the time.
A Public Works Department employee on his morning rounds Aug. 18 discovered graffiti on planter boxes near the downtown fountain at 53 S. La Grange Road. The marker or carton etching was simply the word "zero." The vandalism was found just before 9 a.m. Non-gang graffiti, written with a black marker, was also discovered on the back exit door of a store in the first block of Burlington Avenue, it was reported just before 1 p.m. Aug. 17. And at 9:41 p.m. Aug. 15, a resident of the 300 block of East Lincoln Avenue reported one of their landscaping lights was vandalized and found in a lawn about three houses away. It was believed kids on their way to the downtown business district may be responsible for the damage.
Although not as destructive as graffiti or vandalism, a vehicle was egged on 41st Street just west of Dover Avenue at about 3:40 a.m. Aug. 20. But just as bad three days earlier, a resident in the 900 block of South 8th Avenue reported their 2009 Nissan Versa was keyed sometime between Aug. 7 and 15. The same vehicle was keyed in two previous incidents.
Someone's storage unit was also broken into for the third time in the past two weeks, it was reported just before 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13. The break-in occurred in the first block of South Spring Avenue. And over in La Grange Park, an alarm was activated at a residence in the 600 block of North Kensington Avenue at 2:26 a.m. Aug. 15. When police arrived, they found a rear door ajar.
Bricks were reported stolen from a construction site in the Avenue, it was reported shortly before 10 a.m. Aug. 19. Two days earlier, someone went outfirst block of West Cossitt Avenue to their car at about 10:30 a.m. to find it had been burglarized overnight. Several items were reported missing.
News of the weird
Someone threw a wet telephone book at a patio window in the 800 block of South La Grange Road just before 8 p.m. Aug. 17. Go figure.
A Riverside woman was driving underneath the Ogden Avenue bridge at Tilden and Shawmut avenues at about 9 p.m. Aug. 13 when she reported "some type of substance" was dropped on her car from up above. Turns out it was an egg and, of course, there was no permanent damage.
Oddly enough, a 16-year-old Countryside boy was cited with two disorderly conduct ordinance tickets after someone witnessed him running from the same intersection (as above) just as their car got hit with an egg. David Holloway, of 5700 S. Madison Ave., was located by police at Calendar and Washington avenues, ticketed and turned over to his mother.
Poor kitty
An obviously distraught Elm Avenue resident learned the whereabouts of her reported missing cat on the afternoon of Aug. 19, when the pet's leather collar was returned to her. Seems a Public Works Department employee brought in to the Police Department the collar with a heart tag attached to it, informing them the cat was found to have been disposed of in a Dumpster behind their facility on East Avenue that day. The owner was told the cat was involved in an accident.
A 16-year-old boy and his friend told police they were riding their bicycles in the parking lot of McDonald's, 100 N. La Grange Road, shortly before 10 p.m. Aug. 18 when a woman in a silver Mitsubishi tried to hit them with her vehicle before she took off west on Ogden Avenue. One of the boys said she struck his foot. The woman, about 30, was wearing a red shirt, but police called to the scene were unable to locate any such person.
Peeping Tom?
A resident of the 200 block of South 7th Avenue told police a neighbor called to tell him they saw a tall white man in his 20s or 30s looking into the porch windows of his house at about 10:55 p.m. Aug. 17. The man was wearing a t-shirt with red lettering or a design on it and a large star on the back.
A woman visiting Thipi Thai, 50 S. La Grange Road, told police she believes she left her black and brown purse, with a silver heart on it, on the floor of the restaurant during lunch that day and returned to find it missing. The handbag contained three credit cards, house and office keys, a drivers license and miscellaneous business cards and papers. The report was made to police at about 10 p.m. that night.
Don't leave the kids in the car
Two ordinance violation tickets were issued to mother Sheila Hoffman of 301 Bluff Ave., Apt. 2E in La Grange, after a 911 caller reported seeing a black Ford with an unattended infant in the passenger seat while it was parked near La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue at about 10:10 p.m. Aug. 14. Oops?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
BURGLARIES, THEFTS CONTINUE
As La Grange police continue to investigate possible links among a series of garage and home and yard burglaries predominantly in the neighborhood south of the downtown business district, reports of similar crimes continued to be made this past weekend.
Although no arrests have been made, residents are certainly being vigilant by alerting police whenever they see a suspicious car or person in a neighborhood when such sightings just seem out of place.
Such is the case of a suspicious unoccupied vehicle in the Sedgwick Park parking lot at 47th Street and Bluff Avenue shortly before midnight Aug. 11. Police looked for, but did not find the owner of the vehicle. Or such things as someone noticing open garage doors in the 700 block of South Spring, the 11oo block of Arlington Street and the 400 block of South Peck avenues on the morning of Aug. 9 or in the 800 block of Ashland Avenue shortly after midnight that day. Keep it up, folks. The cops might catch someone yet.
A possible Cubs fan with a bad attitude may also be on the prowl. Seems someone stole a Chicago White Sox flag and flagpole which had been attached to a house in the 600 block of South 10th Avenue. The theft was discovered just before 10 a.m. Aug. 11.
Three and a half hours later, over at the Masonic Home, 441 S. 9th Ave., three bicycles were reported stolen from a bike rack. One of the bikes was locked, said police. A purple Schwinn, also unlocked, was reported stolen at 7:30 p.m. the previous day from the 300 block of South 6th Avenue. And on the morning of Aug. 7, a boy's silver Schwinn Dyno bicycle with yellow, red and blue writing on it was reported stolen from the first block of South Spring Avenue.
But -- police also report -- an unidentified bicycle was found in a front yard at 821 S. Madison Ave., at 7: 40 a.m. Aug. 10.
Three wooden pallets worth a total of $150 were reported stolen from behind Trader Joe's, 25 N. La Grange Road, after the theft was discovered at about 4:45 p.m. Aug. 7. A witness provided a possible license of a driver in a dark-colored minivan who was seen loading the pallets into his vehicle.
A front window was shattered at Urban Sole, 72 S. La Grange Road, at about 5 p.m. Aug. 10. However, vandalism it may not have been. A nearby store owner claims it was likely from rumbling trucks and an ongoing restaurant renovation next door.
An unidentified male victim told police their cell phone was stolen after they were jumped by an unknown offender while walking near Sawyer Park at Lincoln and Washington avenues shortly before 1:30 p.m. Aug. 7.
On to more serious matters
Someone forced entry into a residence in the 900 block of South 6th Avenue, it was reported at about 12:15 p.m. Aug. 10. A day earlier, at 11:20 a.m. Aug. 9, someone discovered a cut screen and a cracked double-pane window in the rear of a home in the 300 block of South 8th Avenue. And shortly after 12:30 a.m. Aug. 8, someone in the 200 block of East Harris Avenue came home to find all of their house doors open.
Home invasion
Two days earlier, at 11:55 p.m. Aug. 7 (that's last Friday night), a resident of the 600 block of South 10th Avenue noticed a man trying to get into the front door of a home and then flee. The stocky, estimated 5-foot-8 suspect, last seen running westbound on 49th Street, was wearing a white or grey hat and blue jeans. He was believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s. However, police called to the scene were unable to locate him.
Other odds and ends
Bat heroes
Village employees helped free an injured bat which somehow got stuck in a residential window well in the 400 block of South Sixth Avenue at 5:15 a.m. Aug. 12.
Oops!
A resident of the first block of South Ashland Avenue was also freed, after locking himself outside of his home -- on the rear balcony -- shortly after midnight Aug. 9.
GET ready to rumm-ble!
An unidentified Lyons Township High School student and his friends were followed home by 18 fellow LT students after police said they were harassed in the central business district by some students from the rival Riverside-Brookfield High School.
Sudsy morning
Seems those no-good household cleaner-wielding pranksters are up to their tricks again. Soap was found in the downtown fountain -- creating, of course, lots of bubbles -- at about 1140 a.m. Aug. 6. The fountain is located halfway between Palmer Place and the parking deck.
Although no arrests have been made, residents are certainly being vigilant by alerting police whenever they see a suspicious car or person in a neighborhood when such sightings just seem out of place.
Such is the case of a suspicious unoccupied vehicle in the Sedgwick Park parking lot at 47th Street and Bluff Avenue shortly before midnight Aug. 11. Police looked for, but did not find the owner of the vehicle. Or such things as someone noticing open garage doors in the 700 block of South Spring, the 11oo block of Arlington Street and the 400 block of South Peck avenues on the morning of Aug. 9 or in the 800 block of Ashland Avenue shortly after midnight that day. Keep it up, folks. The cops might catch someone yet.
A possible Cubs fan with a bad attitude may also be on the prowl. Seems someone stole a Chicago White Sox flag and flagpole which had been attached to a house in the 600 block of South 10th Avenue. The theft was discovered just before 10 a.m. Aug. 11.
Three and a half hours later, over at the Masonic Home, 441 S. 9th Ave., three bicycles were reported stolen from a bike rack. One of the bikes was locked, said police. A purple Schwinn, also unlocked, was reported stolen at 7:30 p.m. the previous day from the 300 block of South 6th Avenue. And on the morning of Aug. 7, a boy's silver Schwinn Dyno bicycle with yellow, red and blue writing on it was reported stolen from the first block of South Spring Avenue.
But -- police also report -- an unidentified bicycle was found in a front yard at 821 S. Madison Ave., at 7: 40 a.m. Aug. 10.
Three wooden pallets worth a total of $150 were reported stolen from behind Trader Joe's, 25 N. La Grange Road, after the theft was discovered at about 4:45 p.m. Aug. 7. A witness provided a possible license of a driver in a dark-colored minivan who was seen loading the pallets into his vehicle.
A front window was shattered at Urban Sole, 72 S. La Grange Road, at about 5 p.m. Aug. 10. However, vandalism it may not have been. A nearby store owner claims it was likely from rumbling trucks and an ongoing restaurant renovation next door.
An unidentified male victim told police their cell phone was stolen after they were jumped by an unknown offender while walking near Sawyer Park at Lincoln and Washington avenues shortly before 1:30 p.m. Aug. 7.
On to more serious matters
Someone forced entry into a residence in the 900 block of South 6th Avenue, it was reported at about 12:15 p.m. Aug. 10. A day earlier, at 11:20 a.m. Aug. 9, someone discovered a cut screen and a cracked double-pane window in the rear of a home in the 300 block of South 8th Avenue. And shortly after 12:30 a.m. Aug. 8, someone in the 200 block of East Harris Avenue came home to find all of their house doors open.
Home invasion
Two days earlier, at 11:55 p.m. Aug. 7 (that's last Friday night), a resident of the 600 block of South 10th Avenue noticed a man trying to get into the front door of a home and then flee. The stocky, estimated 5-foot-8 suspect, last seen running westbound on 49th Street, was wearing a white or grey hat and blue jeans. He was believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s. However, police called to the scene were unable to locate him.
Other odds and ends
Bat heroes
Village employees helped free an injured bat which somehow got stuck in a residential window well in the 400 block of South Sixth Avenue at 5:15 a.m. Aug. 12.
Oops!
A resident of the first block of South Ashland Avenue was also freed, after locking himself outside of his home -- on the rear balcony -- shortly after midnight Aug. 9.
GET ready to rumm-ble!
An unidentified Lyons Township High School student and his friends were followed home by 18 fellow LT students after police said they were harassed in the central business district by some students from the rival Riverside-Brookfield High School.
Sudsy morning
Seems those no-good household cleaner-wielding pranksters are up to their tricks again. Soap was found in the downtown fountain -- creating, of course, lots of bubbles -- at about 1140 a.m. Aug. 6. The fountain is located halfway between Palmer Place and the parking deck.
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