Berwyn Police Blotter
Monday, April 16, 2007
Composite image of woman-attacking robber released
Berwyn police have made public a composite image of a mugger who robbed a woman on April 6; a link to the image is here:
http://theberwynpoliceblotter.blogspot.com/
The story from the official Berwyn Police Department incident report is here:
http://www.berwynpoliceblotter.com/index.php/P90/
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Single-headlight car driven by man with suspended license
April 11, 2007, 11:53 PM
An officer in the 7000 block of Ogden saw a westbound car with a single headlight and no front plate. The driver, a 62-year-old Cicero man, was ticketed for driving on a suspended license, having suspended license plates, having no front plate and having no proof of insurance.
Hoody-wearing burglars walk right in, take huge TV
April 11, 2007, 11:01 PM
A woman called police to say her husband was outside chasing three men who entered their house in the 3600 block of Ridgeland and stole a 52-inch plasma flat screen TV worth $5000. The daughter told police she heard loud sounds in the front room, then saw a man in her bedroom doorway using his cell phone as a flashlight. She lay still until she heard them leave, then woke the rest of the family. A neighbor said he had seen three men carrying something. Two men wore dark hoodies and one wore a grey hoody; fingerprint evidence was recovered.
Lalo’s agrees to turn down the volume
April 11, 11:49 PM
A concerned citizen called to complain of loud noise from the bar at Lalo’s, 3011 Harlem. Police met with manager Juan Castaneda and asked him to lower the volume, which he agreed to do.
Driver of offensively loud vehicle finds it hard to obey simple instructions
April 11, 2007
How loud was it? Loud enough to be heard 142 feet away. For perspective, many lots in Berwyn are just 30 feet wide. Two officers standing on the corner of 16th and Elmwood heard music from a black Nissan Altima with temporary Illinois plates. The driver was told his vehicle would be impounded; he was ordered numerous times to go to the sidewalk, but refused. He was told that now he was being arrested for disobeying a police officer. At first the driver refused verbal commands to enter the squad car; he finally complied. Once in the carport at the police station, the driver announced he was going to make a phone call. The officer said he could not stand in the carport making phone calls, but must enter the booking room. The man got on his cell phone anyway, causing the officer to take the disobedient prisoner by the arm and escort him into the booking room. He was ticketed for disobeying an officer, failing to notify the secretary of state of a change of address, and of course annoying the public with a too-loud stereo. The Nissan was taken to sit in the towing lot until the $500 fine (plus the $125 towing fee) are paid.
Jimmy stolen in the afternoon
April 11, 2007, 5:17 PM
A woman in the 2500 block of Harvey reported her black 1995 GMC Jimmy stolen between 1 and 5 PM from its parking spot on the street.
Truck plate at accident scene leads police to hit-and-run driver
April 11, 2007, 7:04 PM
Police were called to a hit and run accident at Oak Park Avenue and Windsor. They found a 63-year-old man who said his ribs hurt and asked for an ambulance. The man said he stopped his westbound Ford Taurus on Windsor at the stop sign at Oak Park Avenue, then began to turn right onto Oak Park. But when he was halfway through the intersection, his car was hit by a maroon pickup, which continued northbound up Oak Park Ave. Other witnesses confirmed this. The accident transferred some maroon paint onto the victim’s car. When the Berwyn fire department cleared the debris, they found an Illinois truck license plate in the road. The plate was registered to a Cicero man, so police went to that address. The owner, a 56-year-old man, had no idea why police were there—or that his truck was outside with fresh front-end damage and its front plate missing. Then the owner’s 19-year-old son arrived. He told police he was driving his dad’s truck at the intersection of Windsor and Oak Park. Contradicting several witnesses, he said he stopped at the stop sign and a car pulled out in front of him. After the accident he got scared and left because he knew his license was suspended. He was arrested and cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident; disobeying a stop sign; leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage; failure to give aid or information; failure to report an auto accident to police; driving with a suspended license, and no proof of insurance.
Rottweiler-mix dog astray on Home Avenue
April 11, 2007, 5:53 PM
A Rottweiler-mix dog was found at large in the 1300 block of Home. Its pink collar had no tags, and it had no microchip. The dog was taken to A-American Vet for safekeeping.
Pry-bar burglar steals $1,850 in electronics from SUV
April 11, 2007, 5:45 PM
Police were dispatched about a car burglary in the 6800 block of 21st. The victim said sometime in the previous 23 hours, someone used a pry tool to damage the front passenger side door on a 1996 Tahoe. Items stolen were a black iPod, worth $250; a Sony in-dash DVD player, worth $800; and a Sony cd/mp3 player also worth $800.
Owner lets pitbull stray
April 11, 2007, 4:32 PM
A call of a pitbull at large brought officers to the 1600 block of Wisconsin. The pitbull was caught, and the owner, a 21-year-old man from the 7000 block of 16th Street, was ticketed for letting the dog run loose.
Shoppers rouse jeweler’s suspicion
April 11, 2007, 4:18 PM
Police responded to a call from Hurst Berwyn Jewelers, 6418 Cermak. Two men and a woman were inside asking about jewelry but the manager felt they were trying to distract him, so he called police. A name check showed one man, 42-year-old Vernon Echols of Chicago, had an active warrant from the Hodgkins Police Department. Police called the Hodgkins department to come get Echols; the others were sent away.
Theft observed in security mirror
April 11, 2007, 2:11 PM
The manager of the Cermak Plaza Walgreen’s called to report a woman detained at the front doors of the store. A clerk, while stocking shelves, had looked at the ceiling security mirror and noticed Janet Diane Williams, 49, of Chicago, slip store items into her purse. The clerk alerted the manager and they stopped her at the door. Another woman was with her, but fled. Williams began dumping store items from her purse, throwing several at the manager. One jar hit him in the face. There was a struggle, but police arrived and arrested the woman. A search showed her jacket pocket held a type of glass pipe commonly used to smoke crack cocaine. After being read her rights, Williams stated she did put the things in her purse but denied throwing anything, saying she just dropped the items so she could leave. Her criminal history included four previous convictions, including two for retail theft. Because of this record, Williams was charged with one felony count of retail theft, one felony count of aggravated battery, and an officer-signed complaint of possession of drug paraphernalia(the crack pipe).
Crown Vic on Cuyler loses window
April 11, 2007, 10:51 AM
The owner of a 1996 blue Crown Victoria sedan reported that early this morning someone broke a window on the car while it was parked in the 2200 block of Cuyler. Nothing was stolen and neighbors heard nothing.
College student victim of purse thief
April 11, 2007, 11:43 AM
A 19-year-old woman said someone stole her purse and wallet while she was at Pav YMCA, 2947 Oak Park Avenue, on April 10 between 4 and 5 PM. The wallet contained her driver’s license, college student ID, credit cards and $2.00. She said she has already cancelled the credit cards.
Deactivated alarm, denuded dashboard
April 11, 2007, 9:10 AM
A man in the 1500 block of Wenonah reported that overnight someone damaged the front passenger doorhandle of his 1997 maroon Yukon, deactivated its alarm system and stole the Sony in-dash stereo, damaging the dashboard in the process.