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.

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.