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.
Criminal damage to property/motor vehicle/criminal trespass to property/motor vehicle/damage to property
April 8-April 11
An Elmhurst Public Works employee told police that sometime between 2 p.m. April 8 through 10:50 a.m. April 11, an unknown suspect(s) sprayed graffiti onto the pumping station building located along the east edge of the East End park. The concrete form under the downspout on the S/S of the building was also found to be damaged. This caused the water to fall directly next to the building instead of being directed away from it.
April 10
Officers responded to the 700 block of N. Howard Ave. at around 3:29 p.m. for a report of a disturbance. The complainants told police that the listed suspect continues to attempt to make contact with them after having been told to stop. A criminal trespass order was signed against the suspect.
Disorderly conduct
April 10
Devonche Holmes, 22, of Villa Park, was arrested at around 4:29 p.m. Police said the manager of a recreational building in the 200 block of W. First St. was monitoring the basketball court in the gymnasium and heard foul language spoken by Holmes and told him it was not allowed. According to police, Holmes swore and began yelling at the manager. The suspect and another unnamed person were told to leave the facility; during their escort from the building, police said Holmes and the unnamed person made threats. Holmes was charged with disorderly conduct and possession of cannabis.
DUI/DUI-drugs/Illegal consumption/possession of alcohol by a minor/public intoxication/hosting an underage drinking party
April 12
Ann Gunst, 52, of Elmhurst, was arrested in the 100 block of Schiller at around 8:24 p.m. Police said that subsequent to an investigation for a possible intoxicated driver, Gunst was located and found to be DUI, for which she was charged.
April 10
• Justin Rich, 24, of Plainfield, was arrested near York and North at around 10:58 p.m. Subsequent to a traffic stop, police said Rich was found to be DUI, and also was in possession of 27 grams of cannabis, baggies and a scale. He was charged with DUI, possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, delivery of cannabis, no insurance, no headlights and improper lane usage.
• Vasyl Filipovych, 21, of Norridge, was arrested near North and Myrtle at around 1:53 a.m. and charged with DUI, speeding and failure to signal subsequent to a traffic stop.
April 8
Colin Ceas, 26, of Elmhurst, was arrested near York and Palmer at around 3:38 a.m. Subsequent to a traffic stop, police said Ceas was found to be DUI. He was charged with DUI, improper lane usage and improper lighting.
Elder abuse
April 11
A complainant in the 500 block of Babcock alleged that his brother had committed elder abuse on his mother. The complainant believes the suspect did not render any aid to their mother when she fell a few weeks ago. The complainant added there was reportedly spoiled food in the refrigerator.
Missing person
April 9
Officers responded to a victim in the 400 block of Berkley who was knocking on a door asking to use a phone. He was found to be missing out of Woodridge and is a ward of the state. He was taken to the Police Department and turned over to a staff member from Cornell Intervention in Woodridge.
Possession of cannabis/drug paraphernalia/controlled substance/tobacco
April 13
• Matthew Carter, 22, of Maywood and Arthur J. Walton, 30, of Bellwood, were arrested near St. Charles and Route 83 at around 7:09 p.m. Police said that while an officer was on patrol, the officer observed Carter smoking cannabis in the back seat of a car stopped in traffic. Officers then stopped the car. According to police, Walton told officers that the cannabis was his and that he had also been smoking it. Both Walton and Carter were charged with possession of cannabis.
• Josiah Horras, 22, of Elmwood Park, was arrested in the 200 block of S. Route 83 at around 4:18 p.m. Subsequent to a suspicious vehicle investigation, police said Horras was found to be in possession of cannabis. Horras also was wanted on a failure to appear warrant by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, according to police. He was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia,
• Michael L. Sapien, 29, of Bloomingdale, was arrested in the 400 block of W. Lake St. at around 4:04 a.m. While on patrol, police said an officer observed a vehicle parked with its headlights on, and Sapien in the driver’s seat who appeared to be slumped over. According to police, the officer observed two clear plastic zip-loc bags containing suspected heroin and a hypodermic syringe on the front passenger seat. Police said Sapien woke up and admitted to recently purchasing heroin. He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
April 12
James Vera, 25, of Chicago, was issued a citation near York and Grantley at around 4:32 p.m. Police said officers performed a traffic stop on a box truck with no plates, and found Vera, the driver, to be in possession of a glass cannabis smoking pipe. He was cited for possession of the drug equipment, and no front or rear registration plate.
April 11
An officer responded for a father calling 911 about his daughter reportedly smoking cannabis in the apartment. Police said she was found to be in possession of cannabis (3.6 grams). She was charged with possession of cannabis and released on bond.
April 10
Briana McElroy, 19, of Chicago; Joseph Cascella, 21, of Elmhurst; and Francis Derobertis, 21, of Elmhurst, were arrested near York and Madison at around 12:22 a.m. Subsequent to a traffic stop, police said McElroy, a passenger in the vehicle, was found to be in possession of cannabis, butane hash oil and drug paraphernalia. McElroy was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Cascella and Derobertis, also passengers in the vehicle, were each charged will illegal transportation of alcohol.
April 7
• Angelo Booth, 46, of Elmhurst, was arrested near St. Charles and Fair at around 7:40 p.m. Subsequent to a traffic stop, police said Booth was found to be in possession of heroin. He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and speeding.
• Michael Martinez, 27, of Joliet, was arrested near North and Route 83 at around 12:26 a.m. Police said that subsequent to a dispatch for a reckless driving complaint, a vehicle was located and a traffic stop was conducted for expired registration. According to police, Martinez, the driver of the vehicle, was found to be in possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. He was charged with possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and expired registration.
Suspicious circumstances
April 13
A complainant at an establishment in the 500 block of W. Grand told police the occupant of a room was acting suspicious. An officer spoke with the suspect, advised her it was past checkout time and the establishment did not want her to return. She was escorted from the building, along with others, and the suspect was served with a no-trespass notice.
April 9
Subsequent to an online ad, an unnamed suspect was located inside a room at an extended stay facility in the 500 block of W. Grand. Investigating officers were unable to determine her exact involvement, and the facility asked for her to leave the premises.
April 5
A complainant called the Police Department in reference to a suspicious vehicle in the area of a school located near Hillside and Fairfield. The complainant stated the driver drove through the school’s barricades, then backed up, struck the curb, and exited the area. The complainant called again on the above date because she was concerned about the driver. An officer spoke with the driver who stated he was lost.
April 1
A complainant at a convenience store in the 500 block of S. Spring told police about a customer who frequents the store every couple weeks and pays for his items with silver half-dollars. The complainant thought this was suspicious due to the rarity of the coins and their value. The coins were placed into evidence, and detectives later investigated the incident and could not find any recent criminal activity involving the coins. The coins were subsequently returned to the store.
Theft/burglary/attempted theft or burglary/identity theft/fraud/forgery/deceptive practice/obstruction/robbery
April 8-April 12
A complainant in the 700 block of Industrial Drive told police that sometime between the above dates, an unknown suspect removed a trailer from the storage yard. The trailer is a 53-foot white Great Dane truck trailer. The trailer is empty and was for sale. The trailer was entered into LEADS/NCIC.
April 11
• Loss Prevention at a food store in the 100 block of Schiller told police that a juvenile suspect was caught reportedly stealing three bottles of alcohol. The store did not want him arrested, but simply served with a no-trespass notice. The suspect was served and released to his parent.
• A victim in the 300 block of N. Geneva told police that an unknown suspect reportedly took their inoperable second generation iPad from a drawer in a first floor closet. Their home is currently for sale and they believe someone took it during a showing.
April 8-April 11
• A foreman from a local construction company told police he was hired to install steel tubing braces to support the walls of the building. The foreman reports that an unknown suspect(s) stole six bundles of steel sections and two loose pieces, totaling 20 sections of steel tubing.
• A complainant in the 400 block of N. West Ave. told police she is a realtor in town who had a rental listing on the market. Sometime between the above dates, an unknown suspect reportedly removed the house information from the multiple listing service to advertise on the Internet. The suspect’s website advised potential renters to wire an $800 deposit and the keys would then be sent to the house. As of this date, there are no known victims of the alleged fraud.
April 10
Subsequent to a local broadcast regarding a theft of gasoline in Lombard, an officer observed the suspect in a vehicle traveling eastbound near North Avenue and Route 83. The vehicle was stopped at North and Willow. The unnamed suspect told the officer he had left the gas station without paying for his gasoline. The suspect was released to Lombard Police Department.
April 9
• A victim in the 300 block of Highview told police he entered his personal information on his computer after receiving an email from his bank. The victim then realized that the email may be a scam. He contacted the bank and was informed that it was not an email that they had sent.
• Karina B. Guzman, 27, of Wood Dale, was arrested at a local store in the 300 block of S. Route 83 at around 2:33 p.m. According to police, the store’s loss prevention told police they had been watching Guzman walking through the store for approximately two hours. Police said she was filling her cart with adult and children’s clothing, multiple toys and cosmetic items; then, she was eventually observed leaving the store with the cart full of merchandise without paying. She was charged with retail theft.
• Police were advised by an officer that at around 6:01 a.m., a burglar alarm was activated at a gas station in the 500 block of W. Lake St. A building search did not find any suspect on the property. An officer met with the manager who stated his video shows a suspect forced entry into the building. The suspect was in a light gray, full-sized van and was wearing tan pants, a dark jacket, a dark hooded sweatshirt, light blue shirt and gloves. Police said the suspect entered the store, grabbed possibly a tray of lighters and possibly a small number of cigarette packs from behind the counter and left in the van.
• Officers were dispatched to a tobacco store in the 500 block of N. York at around 6:13 a.m. for a burglar alarm. Police said that upon arrival, officers found an unknown suspect who had shattered the glass on the front door of the store and forced open the burglar bars to allow entry. According to police, the suspect entered the store and removed multiple items including cartons of cigarettes.
April 8-April 9
A property owner in the 900 block of N. York told police that sometime overnight an unknown suspect tampered with a change machine located inside the laundromat. The coin dispensing machine sustained damage, however, no money was removed.
April 6-April 8
• A victim in the 600 block of W. Grand Ave. told police that an unknown suspect removed an unspecified amount of cash and a debit card from her purse while it was left unattended in an unlocked locker at her place of employment. The victim stated that the debit card had been used for two transactions.
• A second victim in the 600 block of W. Grand Ave. told police that an unknown suspect removed a debit card from her purse while it was left unattended in a locker while she was at work. The suspect made three fraudulent transactions with the card. Two additional attempts were declined. Several coworkers had experienced similar thefts while at this workplace.
April 7
A victim at a high school in the 300 block of W. St. Charles Road told police his wallet was stolen from his desk while in science class. He took his wallet out to retrieve an item, left it on his desk, walked away from it and when he returned it was missing. He asked the surrounding students if anyone had seen it, and no one had.
April 6-April 7
• A victim in the 600 block of W. Grand Ave. told police that while she was at work she placed her purse in an unlocked locker in the employee locker room. Upon finishing her workday, she retrieved her purse. Later that day she was notified by her bank of three suspicious charges on her credit card, occurring in Elgin. Upon checking her purse she discovered her credit card was missing. The bank suspended her credit card to prevent further fraud. The victim suspects the theft of the card occurred while she was at work. An investigation is pending.
• A victim in the 600 block of W. Grand told police that she noticed unauthorized charges on her credit card. The victim checked her wallet, and noticed her credit card was missing. She stated she left her purse in her unsecured locker at work. On April 7, some of her coworkers had reported their credit cards stolen from inside their lockers at work, and believes her incident is related.
Sept. 20, 2015-April 6
A victim in the 300 block of S. Arlington St. told police that someone gained access to her credit card account without her permission. The credit card company called her in an attempt to collect a debt. The victim then realized it was fraud at this point, as she does not have an account for the card in question.
March 4-April 5
An officer was advised by the service manager of a food store in the 100 block of E. Schiller that she believed a victim was possibly involved in a theft by deception. The victim told police she sent money to a man in March. Since then, the victim has sent additional money for services the suspect claims to have provided. On April 5, the victim was attempting to send the suspect money when she was turned away by Western Union and went to the food store where the employee called 911 to report the incident. The victim was advised to close all accounts immediately and to contact the police if it happens again.
