A 41-year-old Chicago man was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle after leading police on a brief chase, both in the vehicle and on foot, according to police records.

A woman who owns a house cleaning business drove several of her employees to a client’s home on the 900 block of Circle Avenue around noon on Aug. 29 when the alleged crime occurred. She left the 2003 Pontiac Aztec idling while she escorted her employees to the building. After spending just five minutes inside the house, the woman told police she stepped back outside and saw her car being driven south along Circle Avenue.

Several police units picked up on the car’s movements after the incident was broadcast by dispatchers, and authorities followed the stolen car as it moved along Roosevelt Road toward Harlem Avenue, according to police. The car sped up as it turned north onto Harlem Avenue, west onto Harvard Street and then north again through an alley.

At this point, Gerald L. Montgomery, the lone occupant of the stolen car, abandoned the Pontiac and took off on foot before his escape was cut off in a parking lot. Montgomery was taken into custody without further incident, according to police, but refused to make any statement to authorities.

Montgomery is facing a single felony charge.

Gutters torn from local church

Roughly $4,000 in copper gutters were literally ripped off of the St. Bernardine Church building in recent weeks, according to a police report. On two separate occasions an unknown thief has managed to make off with the exterior finish work.

Police received a report of the stolen items on Aug. 29, but it’s unclear exactly when the gutters may have been taken. According to a church representative who reported the items missing, it’s likely the crime occurred sometime between Aug. 27 and Aug. 29.

A total of five copper gutters were taken. Four from the south side of the building and one from the north side of the building, according to police.

At the time the report was filed, authorities had no suspects in the case

Brothers nabbed on warrants

Local police arrested two brothers on a pair of outstanding warrants after dispatchers received a call of a suspicious person in the neighborhood of 1109 Troost Ave.

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Aug. 29, police responded to the address and spoke with a homeowner who said he saw a young man lurking about the property. Police questioned 20-year-old Kenneth E. Crump, of Forest Park, as to his reason for being at the address and Crump said he was trying to locate his girlfriend and child, according to a police report. The woman apparently left Crump’s home with the child in tow following an argument.

A background check on Crump turned up a warrant out of Wisconsin for a probation violation. The department of corrections in that state was contacted and told Forest Park police that extradition would be enforced. Crump was taken into custody.

Roughly two hours later, 18-year-old Kendrick O. Crump walked into the police station “to inquire about his brother,” according to police. The younger sibling was wanted by Chicago police for soliciting and was taken into custody without incident.

Motorists cited for loud stereos

In two days Forest Park police cited seven motorists from the surrounding area for playing their car stereos too loudly. A village ordinance prohibits drivers from blasting their radios at a volume that is audible from 50 feet.

On Aug. 29 two men driving along Harlem Avenue received a citation along with a summons to appear at village hall on Oct. 3.

On Aug. 30, five more motorists received similar citations as well as a summons to appear before a local judge on the same date. Those drivers were stopped along Circle Avenue, Madison Street, Roosevelt Road and Harlem Avenue.

None of those individuals cited were residents of Forest Park, according to police reports.

Car window smashed

The owner of a 2004 Hyundai had the rear windshield of her car smashed by an unknown person for no reason that was apparent to her or investigators. According to a police report, the car was parked at 547 Desplaines Ave. across the street from the public library, for most of the day on Aug. 29. When she left her apartment that evening with her boyfriend she discovered the damage, according to police.

An immediate search of the area yielded no items that may have been used to damage the car, and the vehicle owner said she knew of no one who might do such a thing.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Aug 27 and Aug 31, 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