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.