Berwyn Police Blotter
Theft
Monday, March 01, 2010
Up on blocks
February 23, 2010, 2:08 AM
A caller reported a red Acura in the 2400 block of Lombard/Harvey alley was missing its wheels. Police found the vehicle up on blocks. The radio and shift knob were gone, and lugnuts lay on the ground next to the wheel-less car.
Drug search warrant executed in Lyons
On February 21 at 12:41 AM, a judge signed a Cook County search warrant for the person and apartment of Ronald P. Larson, 55, of 8157 Ogden in Lyons. Berwyn tactical officers knocked at that address and received no answer; fearing the destruction of evidence, they broke the door in and found Larson at a table on which lay white powder cocaine, a straw, and a razor blade. K-9 Officer Ares sniffed throughout the apartment, and police recovered a large amount of cannabis, some cocaine, a digital scale, two guns and a large amount of ammunition. Larson had no firearm owner’s ID. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, and possession of firearms and ammunition without a FOID card.
Candy grab
February 19, 2010
The manager of Walgreen’s in Cermak plaza detained a woman after she was reportedly seen concealing candy in her purse. Police recovered 21 candy items from the woman. The manager told officers that the woman had been caught on previous occasions doing the same thing at the store, and that she was no longer welcome there. Micaela Mercado, 21, was charged with retail theft.
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
Assault, battery • Drugs, alcohol, DUI • Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • Noise violations • Theft • Street stop • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
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
Burglary • Disorderly conduct • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • Suspicious people, objects or events • Theft • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Car stolen from unlocked garage
January 5, 2010 4:13 PM
Someone stole a 1992 Mazda from an unlocked garage in the 1400 block of Highland.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Burglary/theft roundup
January 3, 2010 3:35 PM
Someone stole a Toro snowblower out of a garage in the 1600 block of Gunderson.
January 4, 2010, 10:21 AM
In the 2500 block of Wesley, a burglary victim told police he suspected a handyman known only as “Tony” after realizing several items were missing from his home. They included a GPS unit, a gold necklace, a gold ring, a silver ring and $40 cash.
12:39 PM
An agent of a property management company told police that when she checked a residence in the 3800 block of Scoville, she found the $4,000 forced-air heat system to one apartment had been stolen.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Taco y Stick: stars of surveillance vid
January 1, 2010
A Cicero man went to a gas station at Harlem and Roosevelt, where, he said, he was confronted by two drunken men—one with a neck tattoo. They managed to persuade him to give them a ride eastbound on Roosevelt. When they reached the 6300 block, though, one of the men punched the victim in the stomach and ordered him to “get out of the f@%&ing car and give me the keys”. When the victim complied, the offenders drove away eastbound in the black Aveo belonging to the victim’s girlfriend.
Police were able to view surveillance video featuring the offenders back at the gas station. The neck-tattoo guy popped up in a search of the state criminal database as a Melrose Park resident. Berwyn police met with their Melrose Park counterparts to play the video. The Melrose Park cops took a look at the neck-tattoo guy and said “That’s Taco!’, a man familiar to them as a member of a well-known street gang; the officers also recognized the second offender as another Melrose Park gangbanger with the street name “Stick”. The investigation is ongoing.
Suspicious people, objects or events • Theft • Weapons-related • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Man loses girlfriend’s mom’s car to carjacker
December 31, 2009, 6:30 AM
A 23-year-old man in the 2100 block of Euclid told police he had just moved his girlfriend’s mother’s Nissan Murano, parked it and exited the vehicle, when he was confronted by a man who demanded “gimme the keys or I’ll shoot you!” The victim, who said the offender implied the presence of a weapon, gave up the car keys. The offender reportedly told him to “start running”, then fled northbound in the stolen vehicle. The victim described the offender as a male black, 5’9” to 5’10”, 150-180 lbs, dressed in black jeans, black boots, and a black parka with a fur-trimmed hood.
Suspicious people, objects or events • Theft • Weapons-related • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Stolen autos
December 14, 2009, 9:52 AM
A Geo Prizm—left running, with the keys in its ignition—was reported stolen from the 1200 block of Wenonah.
9:37 PM
Someone stole an aqua-blue 1988 Chrysler New Yorker from the vicinity of 13th and Ridgeland.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Stolen auto
December 12, 2009, 1:10 PM
A Nissan Altima was reported stolen from the 6500 block of 28th St.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Scent to the lockup
Deember 9, 2009, 1:06 PM
Security guards at Marshall’s in Cermak Plaza detained a man after they stopped him for walking out with $79.97 worth of unpaid-for men’s colognes. Francisco Martinez, 48, of Cicero, was charged with retail theft. Three bottles of cologne—Gucci, Guess and Hugo Boss—were recovered.
“I drink 24 hours a day”
December 9, 2009, 11:07 AM
A 22-year-old Cicero man told police he was eating at McDonald’s, Cermak and Ridgeland, with friends when a man approached and hugged him. The victim told police he advised the man to get away from him and leave him alone. The hugger accordingly walked away, but stayed in the restaurant. After finishing his fod, the victim said, he walked to the bathroom, leaving his black leather coat on his chair. The coat contained $40 in cash as well as the victim’s prescription medication. When the victim came back to the table, the jacket and its contents were no longer there. Another customer told police he had not seen who took the coat, but knew where the hugger lived. Police went to the home of Jose Sanchez, 59, of 2144 Elmwood. Sanchez answered the door and let officers inside, where they could see the victim’s leather coat on a living room chair. The victim was summoned to that address, where he positively identified his coat as well as the prescription medication in the pocket.
When asked whether he had been drinking, Sanchez told police he had. When asked how much, he reportedly stated, “I drink 24 hours a day every day”. He was charged with theft; police also learned he had an active DUI arrest warrant out of Cook County.
Suspicious people, objects or events • Theft • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Hot minivan
Dember 8, 2009, 9:59 AM
A Dodge Caravan was reported stolen from the 1400 block of Highland where, the victim told police, it had been parked with the keys in the ignition as it was “warming up”.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Blockbuster theft a team effort
December 7, 2009, 1 PM
While officers were still en route to a theft call at Blockbuster, 7122 Ogden, dispatchers stated the offenders entered a Pontiac and left the scene. Police in the 3800 block of Maple stopped a car matching the description; it contained a female driver and a four-year-old boy. According to the report, driver Maria E. Olmos, 28, of 4201 Clinton, Stickney, spontaneously stated, “It wasn’t me, it was his father” as she pointed at the child. Olmos reportedly told police the Blockbuster clerk accused her and the child’s father of stealing videos, so they left the business. When an officer asked where the woman’s boyfriend went, she gave no answer. A witness positively identified the woman and the child as having been in the store in the company of a man who was stealing videos. The witness said the man removed video packaging as the woman stood lookout and the child ran through the store unattended. When the clerk heard the packaging being removed, he said, he confronted the couple. Olmos was charged with retail theft.
Suspicious people, objects or events • Theft • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink