The Elmhurst Police Department recently reported the following arrests and citations. Persons charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the privacy of victims. 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
Feb. 2
A complainant told police at around 12:20 p.m. an unknown suspect(s) damaged the windshield of his vehicle while it was parked in the York High School parking lot.
DUI, DUI-drugs, illegal transportation of alcohol
Feb. 3
Angel Camacho, 63, of Chicago, was issued citations for possession of open alcohol in a vehicle, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and no insurance near North and York at around 5:26 a.m.
Rafael Casas Jr., 40, of Hammond, Ind., was charged with DUI, illegal transportation of open alcohol, improper lane usage and no insurance, while Rafael Casas III, 19, also of Hammond, Ind., a passenger in the vehicle, was issued citations for consumption of alcohol by a minor and no seat belt subsequent to a traffic stop near E. North and N. Willow at around 8:57 p.m.
Jose Perez Verduzco, 35, of Cicero, was charged with DUI, driving while license suspended, speeding and no insurance subsequent to a traffic stop near E. North and N. Berteau at around 11:03 p.m.
Jan. 29
Kameron Crawford, 20, of Carol Stream, was charged with DUI-drugs, unlawful possession of cannabis in a vehicle, no valid driver’s license and improper lane usage subsequent to a traffic stop in the 100 block of N. York at around 10:47 p.m.
Brandon Lopez, 25, of Wheaton, was charged with DUI, possession of a controlled substance, improper lane usage and no insurance subsequent to a single vehicle crash near S. Route 83 and St. Charles at around 5:23 a.m.
Jan. 28
Cody W. Gunnell, 26, of North Aurora, was charged with DUI, speeding, disobeying a stop sign and no insurance subsequent to a traffic stop in the 100 block of Willow at around 9:24 p.m.
Possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance
Feb. 3
Aleksander Kominowski, 21, of Northlake, was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis by the driver and driving with one headlight subsequent to a traffic stop near S. Route 83 and W. St. Charles at around 2:01 a.m.
Jan. 30
Samuel Halwaji, 19, of Riverside, was issued citations for possession of cannabis in a vehicle and no insurance subsequent to a traffic stop near E. St. Charles and S. Fair at around 12:59 a.m.
Jan. 29
Subsequent to a traffic stop near Route 83 and Riverside at around 8:37 p.m., Matthew Thomas Blaho, 19, of Westchester, was issued citations for possession of cannabis by a person under 21, and tinted windows. Anthony Harris, 20, a passenger in the vehicle, was issued a citation for possession of cannabis by a person under 21.
Johnathan Zuniga-Benitez, 19, of Addison, was issued citations for unlawful possession of cannabis in a vehicle and improper lighting subsequent to a traffic stop near N. York and E. Lake at around 9:07 p.m.
Theft/burglary/attempted theft or burglary/identity theft/fraud/forgery/deceptive practice/obstruction/robbery
Feb. 3
Theft was reported in the 100 block of Mayo at around 11:34 a.m. A victim told police that cash was withdrawn from her unemployment account without her authorization. The victim later stated a friend admitted to taking the money and returned it; the victim did not wish to pursue charges. Upon further investigation, it was found that the victim had an active order of protection, which had not been served. The reporting officer served the victim with an order of protection on a short form notification.
Jan. 2-Feb. 3
Theft of vehicle parts was reported at a business in the 300 block of W. Grand sometime between the above dates. A complainant reported a missing a pair of Illinois dealership license plates. The complainant did not know the plates were missing until he received notification from the Illinois Tollway regarding one of the plates being captured by a toll camera.
Feb. 1
Deceptive practice was reported in the 400 block of N. York at around 5:49 p.m. A victim told police that she allowed an unknown suspect remote access to her computer. The unknown suspect then was able to withdraw cash from her bank account. The victim reported the fraud to her bank and froze her accounts.
Jan. 30
Retail theft was reported at a store in the 300 block of S. Route 83 at around 6:30 p.m. A reporting officer met with loss prevention who reported three female suspects had exited the store with unpaid clothing. The suspects left the area in a gold Chevrolet Impala or Malibu. The complainant recognized one of the suspects from a previous retail theft. The reporting officer made contact with the suspect who admitted to stealing the items. Charges are pending.
Jan. 29
A vehicle was reported stolen in the 800 block of S. Riverside at around 8:11 a.m. A reporting officer met with a complainant who stated an unknown suspect(s) stole his white Freightliner Cascadia truck while it was parked at the above location. The victim reviewed video surveillance which showed an unknown male entered the vehicle and drove off the lot.
Jan. 27
Identity theft was reported in the 100 block of S. West at around 6:39 p.m. A victim told police that an unknown suspect used her debit card information to make an online food purchase.
Jan. 25
Deceptive practice was reported at a business at around 4:14 p.m. A complainant told police that she received an email from an unknown suspect who posed as the president of the business. The email requested that she send funds for new equipment. The complainant complied and transferred cash to a PayPal account. After the money was sent, the complainant learned that the email was fraudulent.
Jan. 24
Attempted burglary to a vehicle was reported at a business in the 200 block of E. Butterfield at around 9:25 a.m. A complainant told police that an unknown suspect(s) attempted to force entry into a vehicle that was parked in their lot. The complainant discovered the vehicle’s locks were tampered with and damaged. The complainant reviewed video surveillance footage which showed a white SUV, possibly a BMW, pulled into the parking lot and
two suspects exited the vehicle. This case is pending investigation.
Jan. 21
Theft was reported in the 200 block of N. York at around 7:06 p.m. A victim told police that her rental vehicle was towed due to the key fob not functioning. The vehicle was towed to a Hertz location in Chicago. Upon visiting the location to pick up her belongings, she noticed numerous items were missing from the vehicle’s trunk.
Feb. 24, 2020
Theft of services was reported at a car rental company. A reporting officer met with the complainant who stated the suspect failed to return a rental vehicle on the agreed upon date. The complainant has made numerous attempts to locate the vehicle but was unsuccessful. This case is pending investigation.
Unemployment benefits identity theft
According to information provided last week by the Elmhurst Police Department, police reported 49 incidents of identity theft with the intention of using a victim’s personal information to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits through the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
