Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Graffiti/vandalism roundup

March 1, 2010, 1:40 AM
Graffiti was left on a garbage can in the 1400 block of Wisconsin, as well as on a trailer parked in the 1300 block of Highland.
5:26 PM
Someone broke a basement window and a dryer vent on the side of a house in the 2500 block of Grove.
March 2, 2010, 11 AM
An overhead garage door in the 1600 block of Oak Park was marred with graffiti.  More graffiti was left on properties in the 1400 block of Highland and the 6300 block of 15th.
March 3, 2010, 2:03 AM
Gang graffiti was left on a wall in the 2200 block of Clarence.

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

Monday, March 01, 2010

Bricks through windows

February 21, 2010
Someone used bricks to smash out the windshield and two windows of a Chevy SUV parked in the 1400 block of Euclid.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

“Irrational, aggressive and agitated”

February 18, 2010, 7:45 PM
Callers reported seeing an agitated man yelling as he walked down Cermak.  Police in the area were flagged down by a citizen who said a man had just punched out the window of a business in the 6500 block of Cermak.  Officers located the man in a yard in the 2100 block of Clarence as he headed for the door to go inside; instead of stopping when police asked him to, however, the man reportedly yelled at them and went inside, slamming the door.  Police saw the man’s hand was bleeding.  When officers knocked at the door, the man’s parents answered and explained their son was on parole and very drunk.  They let police in to see 31-year-old Efrain Nava; he was reportedly lying in bed with his hands concealed by a blanket.  Police ordered him to show his hands, and described him in the report as “irrational, agressive and agitated” as well as “yelling and making odd statements”.  According to the report, Nava took a swing at an officer; police were obliged to handcuff him in order to get him outside so paramedics could tend to his injured hand.  Throughout the incident, the report stated, Nava was noncompliant, pulling away from police and yelling “F@%$ You!” He also kneed one officer in the groin.  He was charged with criminal damage to property; battery charges were pending at the time of the report.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Little bit of everything

Public intoxication at McDonald’s
January 28, 2010, 2:47 PM
Roger T. Dziadkowiec, 56, of Chicago, was expelled from McDonalds on Ridgeland and Cermak for intoxication. Police reportedly collected him on the sidewalk outside in possession of an open bottle of vodka.

Car stereo stolen
January 28, 2010, 4:11 PM
Someone broke a passenger-side window of a white Honda Civic in the 2400 block of Highland and helped himself to a Pioneer CD player.

Pry, but you can’t get in
January 28, 2010, 4:52 PM
Residents discovered pry marks on the front door of an apartment building in the 6500 block of 28th St.

Five-year-old calls 911 a bunch of times
January 29th, 2010, 8:57 AM
Police ended up breaking a window to enter a building in the 1800 block of Oak Park after a series of abandoned 911 emergency calls. When dispatchers returned the call, they heard only “heavy breathing.” A father told police his five-year-old was playing with the telephone.

Alley ordinance nets career criminal
January 29, 2010, 12:48 PM
Police observed a white Ford Econoline illegally traveling up and down the alleys near Oak Park and Cermak. “I’m just looking for wood to build a ramp. I’m a cripple,” the driver explained to police. Joseph Q. Decellis, 53, of the 1600 block of 16th St, was found to have an extensive criminal record with over 51 prior arrests for offenses involving sexual assault, burglary, weapons, larceny and dangerous drugs. He was charged with driving on a revoked license, uninsured vehicle and illegal alley traffic. His van was impounded.

Burglary attempted, abandoned
A woman in the 2100 block of Highland thought she was having a break-in when she heard a loud bang and footsteps on her back stairs. Police found no one, but the doorjamb was damaged.

“ComEd guy” scam
January 29-30, 2010, 2:43 PM; 8:06 PM,
Three elderly victims called police after a series of failed gypsy scams involving men in work-jackets masquerading as ComEd employees. In all three instances, the men – alone or in a pair—talked their way into the residence by saying electrical work was being done in the neighborhood. The scammers’ told the “customers” that they were “owed a $50 credit.” The phony employees then offered the refund immediately in cash saying, “I can give you a hundred dollar bill right now if you have $50 change.” The scams occurred in the 3800 block of Kenilworth, the 1200 block of Kenilworth and 1200 block of Oak Park. All victims were over 70 years old. The men were described as a male white 35-40 years old, medium build, with brown hair in a blue work jacket and skull cap and a heavy-set Hispanic male, with a goatee wearing a beige work coat and a dark knit cap.

New TV-free lifestyle not ok with roommate
January 29, 2010, 6:15 PM
Police were summoned for a domestic disturbance over a television in the 3600 block of Oak Park. A 50-year-old woman told her 47-year-old male roommate that her therapist had recommended that she limit the amount of TV she watched. According to police: “Because [her] therapist made such a recommendation to her, she attempted to limit her roommate’s viewing habits as well. Her attempt greatly upset [the roommate] who verbally threatened her and told her to get away before something happened.” No charges were filed.

Charity box stolen by job hopefuls
January 29, 2010, 6:37 PM
The Taco bell clerk remembered the man with the tear tattoos on his face—and his female accomplice—because they stole the plastic charity change box from the countertop in the 6900 block of Ogden. She told police the pairapplied for jobs there earlier in the week. She gave police their job applications, listing their address at a nearby hotel.

Neighbor beaten with baseball bats
January 30, 2010, 12:03 PM
Neighbors saw a man beaten by two men in ski masks in front of his home in the 1500 block of Wenonah and ran out to help. Despite the man’s requests to keep the incident quiet, the neighbors called police, who found him on his porch, bleeding from the head. The man allegedly would not allow the cops inside his home, citing dogs. When taken to MacNeal Hospital for treatment, he told police the assailants demanded the keys to his old Toyota T-100 pickup and then beat him and drove off in a newer model silver van. He allegedly told doctors he had “fallen down the stairs.”

Maintenance man fails to sell church’s stolen snow-blower
January 30, 2010
A woman at Berwyn Baptist Church called police after witnesses reported a man fitting the description of the church maintenance man walking down the 3400 block of Clinton with a large green auger-type snow blower. The LawnBoy 824e Electric Start had been removed from an unlocked storage shed at the church. Carmen Contreras, 47, of the 7100 block of Windsor, allegedly admitted to police that he had “sold the slow blower for $10 to a guy named Jose” whom he met at the nearby Connie’s restaurant. Police recovered the machine near the restaurant, where witnesses told them Jose had “left on a Pace bus.” The church did not press charges for burglary, but Contreras was charged with criminal trespass to property.

Pot in pocket
January 30, 2010, 5:15 PM
Police charged Jose Evans, 26, of the 2400 block of East Avenue in Berwyn, with alleged possession of a bag with 4.9 grams of cannabis. Evans paid a $175 fine.

DUI driver wets herself
February 1, 2010, 2:27 AM
Renee Terry, 40, of Fairbury, Ill. was charged with DUI after police allegedly saw her silver 2010 Ford Windstar veer across the yellow line on 16th St. She allegedly told police that she had been visiting her mother in the hospital and had left her drivers license at home. When she urinated in her pants during field sobriety tests, she explained that she was “nervous.” She was charged with driving with license suspended, DUI and driving with an open jug of beer in the car.

Loud car flees dangerously
February 1, 2010, 7:41 AM
Felipe Lira, 27, of Cicero, fled police after passing a squad car with radio blaring. Pursued by cop cars, he allegedly blew through stop signs at 25th St. and 61st Ct. then proceeded, “at a high rate of speed with no regard to school children walking in the area or the general public.” When stopped after speeding at more than 40 miles per hour, he allegedly told police, “I’m sorry. Did you stop me for my music?” He was charged with loud music, fleeing and attempting to elude arrest, reckless driving, speeding, and disregarding stop signs. His 2001 white Cadillac Deville was impounded.

Car radio gone
February 1, 2010
Neighbors saw three men break the window of a red 1994 Acura in the 2300 block of Lombard and take a stereo system. They allegedly told police the men fled into Cicero.

Clippin’ Critters vandalized
February 1, 2010, 7:35 AM
A picture window was shattered in a dog grooming business in the 6400 block of 34th St.

-- J. Lehane

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sex not in the cards

Burglar stopped in the act

January 15, 2010, 7:39 AM

A woman in the 1900 block of Wesley observed a bald, white male (early twenties or late teens) in a black jacket at her back door, crowbar-in-hand, who fled when he saw her. Police reported pry marks and deadbolt damage to the door.

Burglary from vehicle

January 15, 2010, 9:36 AM

Seven thousand dollars worth of tools were reported stolen from a white Dodge van parked in the fire station parking lot in the 6700 block of 26th St. The van’s passenger-side lock had been punched out.

GPS stolen during doctor appointment
January 15, 2010, 10:48 AM

Someone smashed the passenger-side window of a black Nissan parked near the medical office at 7120 Cermak and stole a GPS unit worth $130.

Lady-in-red steals purse at Burger King
January 15, 2010, 1:31 PM

Witnesses told police they observed a purse theft from a woman’s coat in the Burger King in the 2100 block of Oak Park. The black female who allegedly took the coin purse was wearing all red clothing.

Sex not in the cards

January 15, 2010, 1:31 PM

Luis M Garcia-Narvarro, 21, address not given, was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly asked for sex after his Tarot card reading at the psychic establishment in the 2600 block of S. Ridgeland. Garcia-Navarro paid his fortune-telling bill of $40, but then made “lewd sexual comments” offering to pay for sex as well. The female psychic called police.

Handgun stolen in Nicor imposter scam

January 15, 2010, 1:56 PM

A man with fake Nicor identification credentials convinced a 74-year-old man in the 2600 block of Ridgeland to let him in because, he said, “they were investigating a gas leak.” The scammer “quickly” showed his company ID and convinced the victim to exit the back door of his home to open the gate for gas company workers, leaving the front door unsecured and the home vacant.  The “employee” waited in the back yard until the victim complained that he was cold. Then the scammer made a cell phone call from the back yard and then told the victim that the house was clear. When the man left, the victim observed that his bedroom dresser drawers had been ransacked. Missing was a blue steel police model Colt 38-caliber handgun.  The scammer was described a male white, 5’9”, 175 lbs with an olive complexion, brown eyes, black hair a waist-length work coat and blue baseball hat.

Jewelry stolen

January 15, 2010, 5:15 PM

An unsecured basement window was the suspected entrance point in a home burglary in the 2300 block of Ridgeland. Included in the loot stolen was a collection of $2 bills and men’s and women’s jewelry --including a 1978 Orr High School class ring.

Cavalier vandalized

January 15, 2010, 10:37 PM

A yellow Chevy parked in the 6600 block of 18th St. was damaged on both the drivers and passenger’s side with the gas cap torn off, driver’s side window damaged as well as a mirror and running board destroyed.

Cell phone gone
January 15, 2010, 5:48 PM

An employee cell phone was stolen from desk at a tanning salon in the 6300 block of Cermak.

Graffiti

January 15, 2010, 3:00 PM

Black marker was found on inside walls in the building at 6850 Cermak . No known gang signs were deciphered.

January 18, 2010

Spray painting spree

January 18, 2010, 7:13 AM

Two autos several blocks apart were vandalized with red spray paint along the entire drivers sides of both vehicles. A white minivan in the 3500 block of Oak Park got tagged, as well as a silver Dodge pickup in the 3700 block of Ridgeland.

Other southside auto damage
January 18, 2010, 4:34 AM, 9:31 AM

A Chevy’s rear window was shattered with a bottle in the 3100 block of Wisconsin, an Astro van had two tires slashed in the 3500 block of Oak Park and a 1996 Ford Mustang had was ransacked after someone smashed both driver’s and passenger’s side windows in the 7000 block of 29th Pl.

Burglar scared off by witnesses

January 18, 2010, 5:30 PM

Neighbors apparently spooked a suspicious visitor to an apartment building in the 1900 block of Euclid. The unfamiliar man witnesses described as black, 6 ‘ tall and around 35 years old, allegedly told a neighbor, “I’m looking for the landlord.” He exited the building rapidly, according to another neighbor. After he left, the basement tenant observed gouge marks on door and dead bolts.

Door kicked in, nothing taken

January 18, 2020, 5:55 PM

Police reported that a rear door of a building in the 6800 block of Windsor had been forced open and the door jamb broken off the frame. Residents said nothing of value was missing.

Booze snatching

January 18, 2010, 9:19 PM

While his accomplice distracted the clerk by fumbling for his ID, a man allegedly grabbed three bottles of vodka and other spirits off the shelf and fled a liquor store in the 6700 block of Roosevelt Rd. The first man ran out of the store as well. Both are described as black males in their early 20s, one wearing a black jacket and the other a dark leather jacket, hat and dark hoodie.

-J. LeHane

Sunday, January 24, 2010

January 11, 2010:  criminal damage and burglary

Car damaged
January 11, 2010, 12:02 PM

A 1994 Ford Thunderbird had all four of its tires damaged in the 2100 block of Kenilworth.

Burglary at Fitzgerald’s

January 11, 2010, 2:41 PM

Two Dell laptops were missing after someone allegedly pried open the double doors of Fitzgeralds in the 6600 block of Roosevelt Rd. Two cash boxes had been moved and two locked file cabinets had marks of prying attempts, but were still secure.

-J. LeHane

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Gang graffiti left on multiple properties

January 3, 2010. 1:53 AM
Graffiti was left on a garage door in the 1300 block of Wesley.  More of the same—this, promoting a street gang whose name translates from Spanish as “The Race”—was scribbled on a garage in the 1500 block of Kenilworth.  A garage door in the 1300 block of Clarence and a wall in the 1200 block of Oak Park were similarly defaced. 
Very large graffiti—from 3 x 4 feet to 4 x 10 feet—was drawn with black marker on five garages in the 2200 block of East. More was found in the 6500 block of Cermak.  Two more properties were defaced in the 3500 block of Highland, along with one in the 3500 block of Cuyler.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Orange paint all over

January 1, 2010, 1:32 PM
In the 1300 block of Maple, someone broke the driver’s window of a van and also sprayed the vehicle with orange paint.  Seven other vehicles on that block were found damaged with the same spray paint.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Paintball hit, graffiti and gang-house vandalism

December 31, 2009, 8:37 AM
A 52-year-old man told police that, on December 30th at 5 PM, he had just left his workplace in the 6700 block of Ogden when he was shot in the chest.  Someone in a white SUV, he said, shot him with an orange paintball.  Orange paint was also found on a door of the business.
8:22 PM
Gang graffiti was found on four properties in the 1400 block of Highland/Cuyler alley.
11:32 PM
Police were sent to a residence in the 1900 block of Kenilworth, where a 51-year-old woman told them someone had tossed a brick through her living room window.  The brick and a lot of broken glass lay on the floor.  When asked who did it, the woman stated she had no idea.  However, the victim’s address was known to police for gang activity.  When questioned about that fact, the report said, the victim became defensive and refused to cooperate.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Alley full of graffiti, broken window

December 18, 2009, 7:33 AM
Six garages in the 2400 block of Scoville were defaced with gang graffiti.
10:20 AM
A Ford SUV was found with a broken window in the 3100 block of Oak Park Avenue.

Gang graffiti

December 17, 2009, 1:36 AM
Green gang graffiti was found in the 1800 block of Cuyler, as well as in the 6400 block of Roosevelt.

Juvenile jerks

December 16, 2009, 9:45 PM
Police met with a woman in the 2200 block of Highland who said her daughter had an ongoing dispute with some cheerleader classmates and had been informed that “some football players might be on their way over” to “bomb” or otherwise damage their house.  Before the officer could complete the initial report, the woman called again to report that someone had just thrown three eggs at her front window.

Hoe—and I really mean it

December 16, 2009, 4:26 AM
A police officer in the 2100 block of Lombard observed graffiti on a garage door, done in silver spray paint.  The graffiti read, “F^@% YOU HOE” with “HOE” underline three times. 

Another garage, in the 1900 block of Highland, was found defaced with gang graffiti.
3:59 PM
Someone sprayed a word in green paint onto a garage door in the 1300 block of Cuyler. 

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A comprehensive report of crime in Berwyn, Illinois, based in part on information provided by the Berwyn Police Department. Nota bene: not all stories for a given date will necessarily fit on the first page. To read the oldest stories, go to www.theberwynpoliceblotter.blogspot.com

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