Crime & Safety

Better Top Required at Coffee Shop

Here's this week's collection of police blotter items that caught our attention.

Did Someone Order an Exposed Espresso with a Bare Muffin?

LA GRANGE, Oct. 5—Police were called to Caribou Coffee, 30 N. LaGrange Rd., at about 12:22 p.m. because a 48-year-old La Grange Park woman was walking around with her shirt unbuttoned and her jeans undone. Police said it appeared her clothes were old and not holding up well. Police told her not to return unless she is properly dressed.

If it Really is a Scam, the Toddler is a Brilliant Touch

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LA GRANGE, Oct. 4—A man pushing a toddler in a stroller was trying to sell tickets for the American Legion door-to-door near Cossitt and Blackstone avenues at about 4:16 p.m. The woman who called the police she had contacted the American Legion and was told they do not have anyone selling tickets. The man had a crew cut and was wearing a long-sleeve shirt.

Moe and Curly?

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LA GRANGE, Oct. 1—Two people were reported fighting on the 100 block of East Avenue at about 3:58 a.m., with one beating the other with a bottle. At East and Lincoln avenues, police found two men, ages 22 and 20, who said they were friends just messing around. They said they wanted to go home to Countryside and a police officer gave them a ride to 55th Street and East Avenue.

It's OK. Everything's Paranormal.

BURR RIDGE, Sept. 30—Police were called at 10:09 p.m. when lights went on in a vacant home on Laurel Oak Court, but no criminal activity was found.

Except for that Big Cat Police Shot in Roscoe Village in 2008

LA GRANGE, Sept. 30—A woman living on the 100 block of Dover Avenue told police she heard a loud animal noise between 10 and 10:30 p.m. that she thought came from a cougar. La Grange police said there are no cougars in this area.

Not 4th of July, but it WAS Enrico Fermi's 110th Birthday

HINSDALE, Sept. 29—A resident in the 20 block of Princeton Road reported that somebody set up a Roman candle across the street, facing the complainant’s house, at 11:46 p.m.

Rolled-Up Car Window Keeps Out More than the Weather

ELMHURST, Sept. 29—A man driving in a construction zone on North Avenue at Highland at 12:34 p.m. told police he was the object of another driver's road rage. He said a man in another vehicle kept trying to merge in front of him, but was not able to and ended up behind him. When they came to a stop, the suspect walked up to the complainant's car and punched the driver's window repeatedly and tried to open the door, which was locked. When police tried to contact the registered owner of the vehicle driven by the angry driver, the descriptions did not match.

Another Quiet Night in the Burbs

LA GRANGE PARK, Sept. 29—A police officer was patrolling at 2:49 a.m. on the 1100 block of Barnsdale Road, south of 30th Street when he heard a loud bang he believed to have come from a gun. The officer saw a man in a red shirt run west, cutting across Barnsdale, in front of the squad car and carrying a dark object in his hand. The officer parked, got out of the car, identified himself and ordered the man to stop.

The man continued west, cut through a parking lot and threw something into the bushes on the 1100 block of Homestead, where police said he lives. He tried to open a ground-level apartment screen door of his building, but could not, police said. The officer ordered him to lay on the ground and he did.

Police said they found a Wards Hercules brand Model 50 double-barreled shotgun with shortened barrels in the bushes with one cartridge spent. Police said they found three live cartridges man's apartment.

Adam J. Owens, 27, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon with a shortened barrel, discharge of a firearm, and possession of a firearm without a firearm owners identification card.

Owens told police that he had traded an iPhone Touch for a shotgun and four cartridges, and after a few weeks wondered if the weapon worked. At 2:30 a.m., he told police he went outside and shot the gun in the air at a 45-degree angle.

On a Positive Note, Turning the Lights Off Saves Energy

ST. CHARLES, Sept. 27—An employee of a bank located inside Butera Market, 2732 E. Main St., told police that she saw a man wearing a baseball hat peering over the stall wall while she was using the bathroom. She screamed and the man ran away, turning off the lights as he left. Store management reviewed security camera footage and identified a man, a store employee, who left the restroom just before the woman. Erik Juarez, 28, of 675 Illinois St., Elgin, a was arrested and charged with one count of disorderly conduct.

Shell Shocking: Ninja Thief so Fast, Cash Gone in Flash

ELMHURST, Sept. 23—An employee of Shell gas station, 654 W. North Ave., told police he was leaving work at noon with $4,567 to deposit at the bank. He placed the sack of money on the center console of his vehicle. Before leaving the lot, he noticed a broken bottle behind his vehicle. He got out of the car and removed the glass, and when he got back in, the money was gone. He said he did not see anyone enter the vehicle or remove the money.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our towns, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor of this Patch site and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.


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