The Elmhurst Police Department recently reported the following arrests and citations. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a conviction, and that subjects are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Juveniles age 17-or-younger are not named.
Assault
Jan. 11
Police said that after officers responded to the 100 block of Brush Hill at around 12:45 p.m. for a traffic altercation, a suspect reportedly exited his vehicle holding a tire iron in one hand at waist level. The suspect was described as a white male, around 5-9 and 180 pounds, about 40 years old with a beard, wearing a dark sweater and dark sweatpants. The suspect then returned to his vehicle and drove away in an unknown direction. The victim stated that he did not want to pursue the matter or sign complaints, but wanted the incident documented.
Battery
Dec. 29
A victim in the 600 block of W. North Ave. told police at around 5:04 p.m. that she met the suspect at a restaurant to discuss a new business the suspect was starting. According to police, the suspect was highly intoxicated and struck victim in the shoulder several times. The victim did not have any visible injuries, but her shoulder was sore. No complaints are to be signed (a matter of record).
Child pornography
Nov. 29, 2016
An officer received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Facebook reported the transmissions of two files suspected of containing child pornography. Subpoena requests were submitted. An investigation is pending.
Criminal damage or defacement to property/criminal damage to a vehicle/criminal trespass to property/criminal trespass to a vehicle/damage to city property/damage to property
Jan. 8
Damage to city property was reported near Evergreen and First at around 12:16 a.m. A city light pole was struck by an unknown vehicle. Public Works was notified and responded to the scene.
Deceptive practice
Oct. 27, 2016
A complainant at a vehicle repair shop in the 400 block of N. York Road told police that he had work done on the suspect’s vehicle and the suspect wrote a check. The check has been deposited three times and returned as non-sufficient funds. The complainant sent a certified letter to suspect and the letter was returned without being signed. An officer advised the complainant this would become a civil issue. The officer spoke with the suspect, who stated she will pay for the work.
Domestic incident, domestic battery
Jan. 6
Officers responded for a domestic in the 200 block of N. Maple at around 12:03 a.m. between roommates. Upon arrival, the victim and suspect stated they had been fighting over missing clothing. The suspect accused the victim of taking her clothing and forcing her way inside the victim’s room. Both agreed to have no further contact with each other that night.
Indecent solicitation of a child
Dec. 23
An officer received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the child victim had complained of being blackmailed to provide nude images of herself. An investigation is pending.
Possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia
Jan. 9
George Garcia, 39, of Stickney, was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia in the 800 block of N. Larch at around 8:02 p.m. Police said Garcia also was found to be wanted out of DeKalb County on a warrant.
Jan. 8
Drew Edward Wraight, 22, of Mishawaka, Ind., and Katelynn Mishelle Heltzel, 20, of Elkhart, Ind., were issued citations by police on eastbound W. Roosevelt approaching S. York at around 5:42 p.m. subsequent to a traffic stop. Police said Wraight was cited for possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to signal and no valid insurance. Heltzel, a passenger in the vehicle, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jan. 6
• Andres Lopez, 2d5, of Northlake, was issued citations by police for possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia and disobeying a stop sign subsequent to a traffic stop near Spring and Madison at around 7:12 p.m.
• Police said an unnamed suspect near Lake and I-290 was found to be in possession of five plastic baggies with white residue inside and 13 small blue pills, along with being found to be driving while license suspended, subsequent to a traffic stop at around 11:55 p.m. Charges are pending lab results.
Suspicious circumstances
Jan. 11
Officers responded at around 12:53 p.m. to the report of mutilated livestock near DuPage and Berteau. A citizen was walking his dog and found several chickens that had been decapitated lying next to oranges, pears and sliced pieces of bamboo.
Dec. 16, 2016-Jan. 11
A victim in the 200 block of Elm Park told police that over winter break his sound bar was stolen. The victim reported that the apartment door is always locked and he suspects his roommate. Security related during a foot patrol that he observed the front door open but no one around over winter break. Security made sure the apartment was vacant and then secured the door.
Jan. 10
Residential burglary was reported in the 300 block of May at around 10:24 a.m. Officers responded to a burglar alarm; upon arrival, they discovered forced entry to a side door. Upon checking the residence, officers discovered evidence of a burglary. Missing items included jewelry. An evidence technician responded to the scene. Neighborhood interviews were conducted.
Dec. 22, 2016-Jan. 10
A complainant in the 100 block of W. Lake St. told police she was looking at her bank account for her business and noticed three checks had been cashed. The checks were cashed to a person who the complainant does not know. The complainant notified her bank of the three fraudulent checks.
Jan. 8
• Elmhurst Hospital security told police at around 8:30 a.m. that a victim was transported to the emergency room by a Westchester Fire Department ambulance for treatment of a drug overdose. While the victim was in the emergency room, a hospital security guard recovered suspected heroin from the patient. An officer took possession of two bags of suspected heroin and submitted the items to the property officer.
• A complainant in the 500 block of Van Auken told police at around 2 p.m. that a male knocked on the back door of her residence and asked her to check her hot water because he might have broken the water line while doing work. The complainant closed and locked the door, as she was not having any work done at her residence. After checking her water, the complainant told the male through the closed door that her water was fine. He then reportedly yelled for her to open the door; he wanted to come in and talk to her about fixing the concrete on her back patio. The complainant stated she was going to call the police and the suspect ran to the front of the house, got into a large dark SUV and exited the area. The suspect is described as possibly an Hispanic male, approximately 30 years old, 5’5” with short, dark hair and wearing a gray jacket. The driver is described as possibly an Hispanic male approximately 20 years old with dark, curly hair.
Jan. 5
An officer responded to a complaint of suspected gunfire which occurred on the above date. The complainant was able to supply the officer with security system recordings of the suspected gunfire. At 11:08 p.m., three suspect gunshots were audio recorded. At 11:16 p.m., two more suspect gunshots were audio recorded. An investigation is pending.
Dec. 16, 2016
A victim in the 100 block of W. Virginia told police he received a letter from his credit card company regarding a fraudulent charge on the above date. The victim notified the credit card company that it was a fraudulent purchase and had his credit card cancelled.
Dec. 14, 2016
The credit manager of a trucking company in the 700 block of N. York told police that a suspect had purchased some parts from their store and paid with a company check which was returned for insufficient funds twice. The credit manager sent out a certified letter regarding the payment. The suspect was contacted and said he would pay the balance. He stated he thought the check would clear, but it did not.
Oct. 29, 2016
A victim told police that on the above date, her vehicle was repossessed and was being held at an auto dealership’s impound location until she settled the remaining balance with the collection agency. The victim recently went to pick up her vehicle and found it to be missing the front and rear license plates, her iPad and two pairs of sunglasses from the vehicle’s glove box. The auto dealership stated that the repossession company did not inventory any property in the vehicle and if the vehicle was stored for over 45 days, the property inside the vehicle no longer belonged to the owner. The victim was advised to provide the iPad serial number so it could be entered into LEADS.
Theft/burglary/attempted theft or burglary/identity theft/fraud/forgery/deceptive practice/obstruction/robbery
Jan. 6
Hoa Thi Diep, 71, of Wheaton, was charged with attempted retail theft at a store in the 300 block of S. Route 83 at around 3 p.m. Police said Diep had taken numerous items from the store, removed the tags and then attempted to conceal them on her person.
Jan. 5
A victim in the 400 block of E. Schiller told police at around 7:51 p.m. that he was advised from a bank in Ohio that a suspicious attempt to withdraw money from his checking account had occurred. The suspect, described as a white male, came into a Chase branch in Ohio with a fictitious Illinois driver’s license in the victim’s name, the victim’s Social Security number and the victim’s bank account number. When the suspect was questioned, he grabbed the fictitious ID and walked out of the bank. There was no dollar loss.
Jan. 2-Jan. 3
Unlawful use of a credit card was reported in the 700 block of Prospect. A victim told police he misplaced his wallet on Jan. 2 and then on Jan. 5, he discovered fraudulent charges on his debit card. An investigation is pending.
Dec. 28
Theft was reported in the 600 block of Babcock at around 11:33 a.m. A victim told police that he had two pieces of furniture delivered to his residence. Two days later, he noticed that an electric drill was missing from his garage. The victim suspects the deliverymen may have taken the drill. An investigation is pending.
Dec. 23
Identity theft was reported in the 600 block of Stratford at around 12:49 p.m. A victim told an officer that he was contacted by Bloomingdale’s Credit Customer Service because his application had been denied. The victim reports he never applied for a credit account at Bloomingdale’s. He contacted the store and was informed that an unknown suspect used his personal information on Dec. 20 to apply for credit.
Dec. 18
Identity theft was reported at an entertainment center in the 300 block of W. Lake St. at around 2:03 p.m. The general manager told police he found fraudulent activity on credit cards while auditing the budget. Further investigation is pending.
