Berwyn Police Blotter
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Nasty stuff poured on steps
August 19, 2010, 2:29 PM
A man in the 2400 block of Kenilworth noticed someone had poured a gasoline-like substance on his front steps. Firemen, who determined it was actually lighter fluid, hosed down the steps.
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
What not to do in a courtroom
July 22, 2010, 2:16 PM
While in local ordinance court, a man was issued a fine on a ticket. After receiving the fine, the man reportedly walked to the rear of the courtroom—which is part of the police station—and began to yell “All you guys are b!+ch@$!”, then slammed the door, causing a disturbance in the lobby. Officers ran outside after Mark A. Mercado*, of the 6300 block of 28th. They found him inside a business in the 3000 block of Ridgeland; the business owner signed a trespassing complaint. Mercado was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
*
A link recounting a previous incident involving Mercado is found below:
http://www.berwynpoliceblotter.com/index.php/site/comments/guess_he_didnt_read_the_april_neighborhood_watch_newsletter/
Disorderly conduct • Trespassing • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Irrational yelling
July 20, 2010, 6:40 AM
An officer saw a man walking down the middle of 21st St. at Oak Park, so he performed a street stop. But during a safety patdown, the man reporteldy tried to pull away and “began yelling in the street in an irrational manner.” Even after being handcuffed, Terrence Rosebuck, 29, of the 6700 block of 21st, allegedly continued to yell and be uncooperative. He was charged with disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Leg shot, mouth shut
July 11, 2010, 9:49 PM
Police responded to a call of shots fired outside Lucky Dog, Harlem and 16th. They found a man lying on the ground bleeding from his wounded left leg. According to the report, the victim refused to answer officers’ questions. Puddles of blood were found in a line from the north alley to where the victim lay on the north side of the restaurant.
Witnesses said a white two-door vehicle with a rear spoiler was involved, and described the two suspects as an Hispanic man and woman. The man, they said, had a semi-automatic handgun. Police recovered a 9MM Luger shell casing.
Suspicious people, objects or events • Weapons-related • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Man caught driving through Proksa Park
July 11, 2010, 7:20 PM
Two officers patrolling Proksa Park, 30th and Home, noticed something different: a white Ford minivan driving inside the park on a sidewalk. Driver Kibsain Cortes-Sanchez, 20, of Cicero, was cited for driving unlicensed and uninsured. He was also given both state and local citations for driving on the sidewalk.
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Stranger danger: their dog held hostage, little girls lured to prison-on-wheels
June 22, 2010, 4:45 PM
A Berwyn police officer on patrol in the 1400 block of Gunderson alley saw a red Dodge minivan parked there, with two young girls, ages 12 and 7, standing next to it. The officer noticed the children looked nervous and scared, so he began to question the van’s driver and the little girls. The officer learned the driver was holding the children’s dog inside the van, and trying to lure the children in also. When police examined the vehicle, they realized the passenger door was screwed permanently shut, and the inside door locks were jimmied, with the childlock devices engaged—thus preventing the escape of anyone held inside the minivan.
The state’s attorney approved a felony charge of attempted aggravated kidnapping of a minor child against Brian Q. Garcia, 32, a resident of the 2200 block of Grove. Police Chief James Ritz praised what he called the outstanding and exceptional efforts of the officer by which “an obvious tragedy was prevented.”
Announcements • Dogs, dog attacks • Memorable incidents • Miscellaneous • Suspicious people, objects or events • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (1) Comments • Permalink
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Felony charge answers the question “What, I can’t kill my own dog?”
June 20, 2010, 8:05 AM
Shocked anonymous callers told police a man had just shot his dog and dumped it in a trash can in the 6600 block of 34th. Police spoke with witnesses who said the offender had been drinking alcohol at a neighbor’s house. They said he then walked home, killed his own dog, threw its body in a garbage can in the alley and announced the deed to neighbors.
The offender’s female roommate told police he had a gun and led them to the basement, where they recovered a .177 pellet-shooting air rifle. When tactical cops asked the offender if he had other guns, he reportedly said, ‘Yeah, I got a shotgun in pieces upstairs, but I didn’t shoot my dog. I killed it with a bat. I hit it in the head with a f@&#ing bat.”
Police recovered the body of the dog—a black 14-year-old female named “Shakes”—from the trash can in the rear of 3329 Wesley. When police handcuffed Paul A. Canlas, 43, of 3333 Wesley, he reportedly said, “It was my dog. What, I can’t kill my own dog?”
Canlas had a valid FOID card, but his roommate did not. She told police she did not intend to allow him to return and wished the guns removed from the premises. Police recovered the air rifle and a Norinco 12-gauge shotgun, along with the wooden baseball bat.
Canlas waived his Miranda rights; he reportedly told detectives he had been out of work for nine months and had been drinking at a friend’s place when he decided to kill the dog because it was “old and sick”. He allegedly said he went home, led his dog into his garage and smashed her over the head with a baseball bat. Canlas reportedly stated he thought the first blow killed the dog, but he delivered a second blow to make sure.
The assistant state’s attorney gave felony approval at 10:18 PM. Canlas was charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, with a court date of Wednesday, June 23rd at 9:00 AM in courtroom #103 at Maybrook courthouse. The charge is a Class 4 felony.*
*
<< IL ST CH 510 § 70/3.02 >>
[§ 3.02. Aggravated cruelty.
(a) No person may intentionally commit an act that causes a companion animal to suffer serious injury or death. Aggravated cruelty does not include euthanasia of a companion animal through recognized methods approved by the Department of Agriculture unless prohibited under subsection (b).
(b) No individual, except a licensed veterinarian as exempted under Section 3.09, may knowingly or intentionally euthanize or authorize the euthanasia of a companion animal by use of carbon monoxide.
(c) A person convicted of violating Section 3.02 is guilty of a Class 4 felony. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 3 felony. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for violating this Section, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person’s expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. If the convicted person is a juvenile or a companion animal hoarder, the court must order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation.
(Source: P.A. 92-650, eff. 7-11-02.)
Assault, battery • Dogs, dog attacks • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Worth a try
May 30, 2010, 4:01 AM
The desk officer was asked by dispatch to translate a 911 call in Spanish. The caller told the officer he was “locked up at the Berwyn Police Department” and gave his name. The officer walked over to the booking department and found Roberto Cortez, 18, of Cicero, locked in cell #9, where he had been since his earlier arrest for allegedly drinking 7-8 bottles of Corona beer, then tossing the bottles into a resident’s back yard. Cortez also had an active Cicero warrant for criminal sexual assault dating back to October 21, 2009. The officer took the cell phone away from Cortez
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • Permalink
Saturday, April 24, 2010
April 8-9, 2010
More bunny graffiti
April 8, 2010, 9:35 AM and April 9, 7:31 AM
A bunny and other gang-related graffiti was removed by police from a house in the 3400 block of Maple. Other marks appeared in the following blocks: the 2100 blocks of Grove and Kenilworth, 2300 Euclid, 1500 Ridgeland, 6700 19th , 1800 Grove, 1900 Kenilworth, 6200 and 6300 blocks of Cermak, and the 6200 block of 26th St.
A window for a window
April 8, 2010, 3:18 PM
Police arrested Alejandro Zavada, 30, of Chicago, for smashing the windows of a 1996 blue Chevy Tahoe parked in the 6600 block of Cermak. Zavada entered a yellow Pontiac Coupe, which police pulled over a few blocks away. Zavada was observed with a bloody right hand, from which he dropped a silver tire iron. He allegedly told police, “I just busted out a dude’s window, ” explaining that he had committed the offense because the Berwyn owner of the vehicle had, he said, damaged the car of his girlfriend’s mother. A passenger in the coupe, Domingo Perez, 31 of Chicago, was found to be wanted on a warrant from Chicago.
I’m a %% boy from Cicero, B@#$%!
April 8, 2010, 6:01 PM
Police saw a man urinating in an alley in the 2400 block of Clarence and asked if he lived at the address. Benjamin J. Lugo, 30, of 22nd Pl. in Cicero, allegedly responded in a belligerent fashion, “No, I’m just taking a p@#$ in here, what the f@#$ do you want?” When Lugo refused to submit to a protective patdown, police noted a strong odor of alcohol. At that point, Lugo reportedly began yelling, saying, “You want to lock me up, b@#$%, go ahead, I don’t give a f@#$! I’m a %% Boy [name of street gang] from Cicero. I don’t care if I go to county, b@#$#, I’ll f@#$ you up.” According to the report, Lugo became combative, spit at the officers and threatened their wives and mothers. Three officers grabbed him “in a control position” and placed him on the ground face-first to prevent him from spitting again. He was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer, aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
Burglary
April 8, 2010, 10:58 PM
Burglars damaged a back door frame in the 1300 block of Grove and removed a Toshiba laptop and pink digital camera from the premises.
Welcome wagon
April 9, 2010, 8:14 PM
A realtor told police that, while he was viewing a unit he was considering buying in the 3500 block of Oak Park, he was accosted by a belligerent stranger who entered the apartment shouting, “what the f@#$ do you want here, N@#$%r? Get the f@#$ out of here. What the f#$% are you stealing?” Police charged Paul R. Moses, 45, with battery after he allegedly lunged at the realtor, throwing a closed fist and punching him in the back while pushing him up the stairs.
--J. LeHane
Burglary • Disorderly conduct • Drugs, alcohol, DUI • Gang activity • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Beyond the grave
April 3, 2010, 2:32 PM
A woman told police her granddaughter found a granite headstone upside down behind her garbage cans in the 1500 block of Harvey. The stone read: “Beloved Anna 1918-“
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Horrifyingly dry dead Christmas tree signals mental deterioration
February 25, 2010, 7:15 AM
A 24-year-old woman in the 1600 block of Oak Park repeatedly called 911 claiming her landlord was stalking her and lying in wait to rape her. After warning the woman to cease the phone calls, police advised that she receive a physical and psychological evaluation. They noted a large, dead Christmas tree was still present in the apartment, complete with lights. The woman was told the tree was a fire hazard and had long ago died; needles littered the floor. Furthermore, there were smokers in the home. She was advised by the fire department not to turn on the lights. and to remove the tree immediately. During this incident, the landlord in question was at the Berwyn Police Department asking for an order of protection against the tenant and her mother, both of whom he was trying to evict.
February 25, 2010, 2:54 PM
A man replacing the fuel pump on a Chevy Tahoe SUV in the 2700 block of Highland spilled gasoline on the garage floor, which was ignited by a nearby propane space heater. Fire crews put out the fire and boarded up the garage.
Graffiti was reported in the following locations:
February 25, 2010
2825 Harlem, 3815 Elmwood and 7083, 7175 and 7001 Cermak.
-- J. LeHane
Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • Miscellaneous • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Pediatrician charged with sexually assaulting 13-year-old patient
February 18, 2010, 11:30 AM
Berwyn police announced charges against pediatrician Abdulbari Akhras, 63, for sexually assaulting a minor. Akhras, who lives in Burr Ridge and whose office is in the 6900 block of Ogden, was charged with nine felony counts including the assault of a 13-year-old patient in his office last month. He was released on $100,000 bond. Police Chief Joseph Drury said the investigation is ongoing and they are looking for others who may have been assaulted. Akhras is a registered physician at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn and La Grange Hospital in La Grange. Police Unit Commander James Sassetti said that the department is working with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulations to revoke or suspend Akhras’ license. Until then Dr. Akhras was granted permission to continue to practice medicine temporarily if another adult is present in the room.
--J. LeHane
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Abduction, burglaries and a phony gun
Fake gun in waistband
February 15, 2010, 1:03 AM
Police arrived at Tiger O’Stylie’s in the 6300 block of Ogden expecting to find an armed patron with a pistol sticking out of his belt. Turns out Cesar Esteves, 24, of Stickney, was sporting a pellet gun—a replica of a black Beretta PX4 Storm. He was charged with disorderly conduct.
Residential Burglaries
February 15, 2010, 11:47 AM, 2:43 PM
Drawers were found open and ransacked in a building in the 3400 block of Highland. The resident was unclear what, if anything, was missing. Burglars broke the basement window with a rock. In the 1500 block of Elmwood, the bottom panels of a back door were smashed “with blunt force” and someone crawled through the opening and unlocked the door, removing three flatscreen televisions, a Playstation 3 game system and a Sony laptop. Neighbors told police they saw a black car on the garage apron.
Garage Burglaries
February 16, 2010, 1:55 AM, 5:45 PM
Two garage burglaries occurred two blocks apart on Clarence. Stolen from the 2500 block was a snowblower, large power drill and a bag of assorted tools. In the 2300 block someone made off with a new Igloo chest freezer (in box) a new-in-box card table with chairs, a bag of girls’ clothing and a folder of legal papers.
Lawn ornament removed
February 16, 2010 9:19 PM
A building owner told police he suspected that the person who stole the lawn ornament from the 1900 block of Euclid was an opponent in a legal dispute. The missing monument was described as a stone statue of a boy and girl on a bench.
Viaduct vandalism
February 17, 2010, 12:41 PM
Someone broke the plastic lenses in the pedestrian tunnel lights under the railroad tracks at 31st and Ridgeland. Graffiti in black magic marker was also discovered.
Garage burglaries
February 17, 2010, 1:34 PM, 5:57 PM
A damaged overhead garage door was the entry point in a burglary in the 1600 block of Wisconsin. Stolen were two Lajobi baby cribs, a two-ton floor jack, two wet-vacs, an air compressor and battery charger as well as miscellaneous hand tools and car electrical parts. In the 1900 block of Wesley, a service door was broken in half with locks damaged and the frame pried off. The victims gave police a list of missing items.
Woman abducted; “Now we have a new friend!”
February 17, 2010, 4:58 PM
A 26 year old woman told police she was grabbed from behind at Cermak and Euclid and forced into a car by a 40-year-old husky, short white male with a grayish beard. The kidnapper allegedly told her “now you’re going to suck my @#$%” and displayed his penis, trying to push her head down into his lap. She resisted and he then reached into her shirt and fondled her, while driving through Berwyn. He then headed into North Riverside and took her to a house telling her, “Sit down on the couch. If you scream I’ll hurt you.” A second woman appeared whom the man introduced as “Tiffany” telling her, “Now we have a new friend.” Both abductors left the room and the woman called a former boyfriend asking him to call police. The subject returned and allegedly “asked if she know any young girls or had any children.” He “stated he wanted to meet [the woman’s] daughter and she told him “that would never happen.” When police called the woman’s phone, “Tiffany” answered the call and, impersonating the victim, allegedly told them she was “fine.” However, the phone call upset the couple and the woman told police the man loaded her back into his car and dropped her off at her employer, a tax service.
-J. LeHane
Burglary • Disorderly conduct • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • Miscellaneous • Suspicious people, objects or events • Weapons-related • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Smoked sausage
January 12, 2010, 2:07 PM
A young woman in an apartment building in the 3100 block of Harlem smelled smoke in the building and called 911. When police and firemen arrived, an officer began knocking on doors because it was not obvious where the fire was burning. A woman answered their knock, opening the door to reveal an apartment completely filled with dense smoke. She appeared confused. She told police she had been drinking gin throughout the day, began cooking Polish sausage on the stovetop, then fell asleep before it was done.
Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Monday, June 15, 2009
Invasion by invitation
June 9, 2009, 7:17 PM
Ten officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Gunderson on reports of a home invasion. The building was pointed off and police spoke with the owner, who stated she is the only person living in the house, that nobody else should be there, and that she “heard people in the basement”. Police entered the house and found two men in the basement. The men told officers they rent the basement from the woman, who lives upstairs.
When questioned again by police, the landlady admitted she had, in fact, rented the apartment to the men, but had called 911 because she felt the tenants were being too noisy. She also appeared intoxicated, according to the report. During this incident, police noticed the basement flat was not up to code because it had only one exit. Argentina McCann, 70, was charged with disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink