Berwyn Police Blotter
Friday, September 05, 2008
Repeated gang graffiti
August 31, 2008, 5:47 PM
Gang symbols were scrawled on a garage door in the 1200 block of Wenonah.
7:37 PM
A homeowner told police someone used marker to write gang graffiti on his property in the 2800 block of Clarence; the victim said it was the third such incident in less than four weeks.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Pick a lane and stay there
August 31, 6:04 PM
Police stopped an eastbound Jeep on Cermak at Ridgeland after seeing it swerving in traffic. Driver Raul Mendoza, 51, of Cicero, was arrested for improper lane use and driving despite his suspended license; the Jeep was impounded.
Traffic stops / accidents • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Dog stolen in front of own home
August 30, 2008
A dog was stolen from in front of his house at Oak Park and Pershing on August 30th. The dog, a small white male Bichon/poodle mix named Niko, apparently escaped his back yard and was walking in front of his house. Witnesses said a woman in a green minivan called to him, and was able to scoop him up and take him away. The owner is offering a reward, with no questions asked, for the return of Niko. If you have seen Niko or know where he is, please call Berwyn police at 795-5600, or the owner at 708-359-4744.
Announcements • Dogs, dog attacks • Theft • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Man charged after stuffing dog in car trunk
August 31, 6:10 PM
Police were tipped off that men in a blue Ford sedan had stuck a dog in the trunk and driven off. The caller gave the license plate of the offending vehicle, which an officer stopped at Ridgeland and Cermak. He had the driver open the trunk, which revealed an adult beagle with a long cable around its neck. It was a very hot day, and the dog was breathing heavily. The officer immediately removed the dog from its prison. Driver Jose L. Correa, 41, of 3515 65th Place, Chicago, was charged with confining an animal in a motor vehicle, as well as with driving unlicensed, uninsured and with no seat belt. The car was impounded. 
Dogs, dog attacks • Suspicious people, objects or events • Traffic stops / accidents • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Knife in the ground
August 31, 2008, 3:43 PM
A concerned citizen alerted police to a large kitchen knife sticking out of the ground in the 1500 block of Lombard, west side. Police recovered the knife.
Weapons-related • Unusual, mysterious, odd or just weird • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Suspended driver cited after hit-and-run(s)
August 31, 2008, 2:46 PM
Police were told to watch for a brown Olds with handicap registration; witnesses said the Olds hit a parked Jeep on 26th near Harlem, then kept going. Police stopped the Olds at Stanley and East when officers spotted the car waiting there for a train to pass. The male driver and woman passenger denied involvement, but police could see front driver-side damage to the Olds.
A woman told police she was driving westbound at 26th and Euclid when the Olds sideswiped her; she said the man was driving. A second victim told police the Olds rear-ended her Jeep at 26th and East; that victim said the woman was driving. Police issued three citations to the woman, a 58-year-old Cicero resident. The male driver, Wayne H. Gorski, 49, of Cicero, was charged with driving on a suspended license, no insurance, improper lane use and failure to report an accident.
Traffic stops / accidents • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Towed for noise
August 31, 2008, 8:43 AM
Police could hear unwanted noise more than 100 feet away from a red Ford pickup truck in the 6800 block of Cermak. The truck was impounded, and driver Sofia Aguire, 29, of Cicero, was cited for noise and driving without a license.
11:12 AM
A $500 noise-violation ticket was issued to driver Horacio Munoz after his vehicle was stopped and impounded at Cermak and Wesley.
11:47 AM
A white Ford Explorer’s stereo forced itself on everyone within 250 feet of the vehicle in the 6600 block of Cermak. The SUV was impounded; the $500 ticket went to driver Jose D. Galeno, 18, of Cicero.
11:50 AM
In the 6200 block of Cermak, police stopped a too-loud silver Pontiac Grand Prix. The noise ticket was issued to 23-year-old Maria Vega of the 1400 block of Highland.
12:35 PM
A silver VW Golf, stopped for noise in the 6700 block of Cermak, was towed for the offense; driver Oscar Gonzalez, no age or address provided, received citations for noise and driving while his license was suspended.
Speeding and blowing stop signs
August 31, 2008, 12:41 AM
Police stopped a green Chrysler sedan for doing 43 MPH in a 25 MPH zone in the 2300 block of Harlem. Driver Gregorio Valencia, 37, of the 2000 block of north Keystone, Chicago, received tickets for speeding, no valid license and no insurance.
5:13 AM
A gold Ford Explorer disregarded the stop sign at Cuyler and Cermak, nearly striking a westbound vehicle. Driver Angel Gutierrez, 23, of the 1200 block of Cuyler, presented the officer with an Illinois driver’s license that expired two years ago. He was cited for both offenses.
3:28 PM
A red Bonneville was stopped after an officer saw it blow through the stop signs at 19th and East and at 19th and Highland. Driver Latasha Smith, 23, of the 1900 block of Highland, was cited for each blown stop, for driving unlicensed and uninsured, and for driving with an expired temporary plate.
Traffic stops / accidents • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Spitting mad
August 30, 2008, 10:01 PM
A woman from the 1800 block of south Springfield, Chicago, said she and her boyfriend had an altercation in his residence in the 1800 block of Wesley. The 28-year-old man reportedly slammed a door, yelled, repeatedly spit in the woman’s face, shoved her out of the apartment even though she was barefoot, took her keys, and locked her purse inside the flat. Once he had her outside, she said, he punched her in the face and fled. The woman signed a complaint of domestic battery.
Those 40-ouncers will do a number on ya
August 30, 2008, 9:29 PM
An officer saw a man standing in the middle of the eastbound lane of 16th at Euclid with his arms straight out at his sides. The officer told the man to put his hands on the hood of the squad car. The man told the officer a car hit him and he fell off his bike. He was foaming at the mouth and emitted a smell of alcohol; when asked, the man admitted to drinking a 40-ounce beer earlier. Victor E. Cruz, 26, of the 4300 block of Harlem, Stickney, was arrested for public intoxication.
Disorderly conduct • Drugs, alcohol, DUI • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Strongarm robbery at 32nd and Wisconsin
August 30, 2008, 7:11 PM
A 19-year-old woman told police she was robbed at the corner of 32nd and Wisconsin at 3:30 AM. The victim said she was hugging her boyfriend, a 22-year-old Berwyn man, when a stranger grabbed her boyfriend in a headlock and pulled him away from her. A second robber grabbed the woman’s purse and threw her to the ground. The robbers fled on foot east on 32nd, then south on Home. Soon after, both victims saw a newer silver sedan with tinted windows, occupied by four persons, back out of a parking space on the north side of Windsor and speed off, injuring the boyfriend’s leg as it passed. The stolen purse contained a cellphone, digital camera and keys.
The victims described the first offender as a male Hispanic, in his 20s 5’10”, medium build, with a shaved head, black pants and a black T-shirt over a white one. They said the second robber was a male Hispanic in his 20s, 5’10”, heavy, dressed the same way. The victims said the driver of the speeding car wore a red baseball cap with white stripes; they said they could assist police in creating composite images of the offenders.
Robbery • Suspicious people, objects or events • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Two (well, it looked that way at first) women arrested for theft at Shoe Carnival
August 30, 2008, 2:39 PM
Security personnel at Shoe Carnival in Cermak Plaza reported two women were seen placing shoes inside their handbags, then leaving the store. Police arrived in time to stop the pair in the parking lot; both suspects spontaneously stated that the shoes were in their bags. Inside a silver handbag was a pair of pink high heels; in a black purse was a pair of purple high heels. Charged with retail theft were Linda D. Neal, 29, of the 4300 block of west Washington; and Christopher L. Jackson, 26, no address given.
Elderly pedestrian reportedly ran in front of car
August 30, 2008, 2:07 PM
The driver of a Mercury Sable told police he was trying to make a left turn onto Harlem at 23rd when an 82-year-old man ran out in front of the car; his account was confirmed by witness statements. The elderly victim was taken to the hospital. Driver James Sapienza, 45, of Berwyn, was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
Traffic stops / accidents • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Wild threats
August 30, 2008, 1:55 PM
Police responded to a domestic dispute in the 1300 block of East spoke with a 19-year-old woman who said she and her 21-year-old husband had an argument; the husband reportedly picked up a glass bowl and threw it at the victim’s arm, threatened to kill everyone in the house, then fled northbound through the alley.
Assault, battery • Domestic • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Bike theft
August 30, 2008, 10:51 AM
A bike was reported stolen in the 3000 block of East Avenue.