An employee was reportedly caught performing an “under-ring”-not charging a customer for items at full retail value-at the Bed, Bath & Beyond on Harlem Avenue just before closing on March 15.
Samantha Woods of Chicago was arrested after another employee allegedly realized Woods only charged a female customer $379.16 for a purchase that should have cost $957.05, according to police reports. The loss to the store totaled $577.89.
According to the report, Woods told police the female customer who made the purchase was accompanied by another female, and Woods’ ex-boyfriend, who told Woods “don’t ring this stuff in the cart or else.” She claimed she was “terrified” that night when he came into the store, but did not want to mention this to anyone else for fear of him harming her or someone else. Woods refused to tell the police the names of her ex-boyfriend and his mother because she was afraid “he would somehow hurt her.”
The suspect was charged with felony retail theft.
Theft suspect arrested for drugs
Police responded to a call of a retail theft from Famous Liquors on Madison Street on the evening of March 9. After pulling over a vehicle suspected to be linked to the alleged thieves, police arrested the driver for drug possession and resisting arrest.
The caller from Famous Liquors stated a male suspect stowed what was believed to be a bottle of Grey Goose vodka up his sleeve before leaving the store and driving off in a maroon minivan. Soon after the call, police stopped a maroon minivan traveling southbound on Desplaines Avenue.
The driver, 21-year-old Christopher Davis, and his two passengers gave consent to search the vehicle, according to police. When officers attempted to check Davis for weapons, Davis reportedly tried to flee. The suspect went on to resist arrest, the reports states, as well as obstruct officers’ attempts to handcuff him because he was trying to retrieve items from his pockets.
Police found a total of four plastic sandwich bags of what was believed to be marijuana, as well as a plastic bag of crack cocaine in Davis’ pockets. He was charged with obstructing a police officer, resisting a police officer, and two drug-related charges.
Davis and his two passengers maintained they never entered or stopped at a liquor store that evening.
Man arrested for disorderly conduct
A Forest Park resident called in a complaint against a reportedly drunken suspect around 2:30 a.m. March 14.
According to the police report, the Adams Street resident claimed the suspect, 25-year-old Robert Schwartz of Forest Park, rang the doorbell to the house and asked, “Have you ever thrown someone out on the street?” The puzzled resident asked Schwartz to explain, at which point Schwartz accused the resident of throwing something at him as he walked by.
Schwartz proceeded to ring the doorbell and yell after the resident closed the door and pointed his finger (like a gun) at the resident while making “p-chew” noises, the report states.
When police arrived, they found Schwartz intoxicated and subsequently arrested him. Police said the suspect “”could offer no reasonable explanation for his behavior.” He was charged with disorderly conduct.
Multiple drug offenses
Police arrested five suspects on four different drug-related incidents in the Forest Park area.
On March 9 in the late afternoon, police stopped 27-year-old Adam Salinas driving a 1998 blue Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation. Fearing the suspect was concealing a weapon, the officers performed a search of the vehicle and reportedly discovered two clear plastic bags of an off-white substance that tested positive as cocaine, according to an incident report. The two bags weighed about 32 grams. Salinas refused to make a statement. He was charged with possession of more than 15 grams of a controlled substance.
On March 10, two suspects were taken into custody on two different occasions, both for possession of marijuana. Ross Huey of Villa Park, was stopped for a traffic violation around 1 p.m. Police recovered a plastic bag of marijuana from Huey’s pocket during a safety pat-down, according to the report. Later that day, Lawrence Adolphson was stopped and the officer claimed to smell “burnt cannabis” coming from the vehicle. Police allegedly found a plastic bag containing marijuana.
At about 3 p.m. on March 14 outside of the Walgreens on Roosevelt Road, police arrested Ashley Biama, 20, and her brother Nicholas Biama, 25, after approaching the 1997 Chevy Blazer to investigate their reportedly “furtive” behavior, and allegedly finding heroin in the vehicle.
Police conducted a search and recovered two full syringes, nine unused syringes, and nearly 30 rectangular pieces of foil containing an “off-white powdery substance.” Both suspects were bleeding from track marks on their left arms. They were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between March 10, 2007 and March 16, 2007, and represent only a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in this report has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not been adjudicated.
Compiled by Josh Adams
