A shoplifting suspect accused of stealing eight bottles of lotion from a drugstore on Circle Avenue allegedly told police he intended to sell the items in support of his addiction to heroin. Noel Robles, 28, of Chicago, was chased along Harlem Avenue by a store employee Oct. 8 after the employee allegedly saw Robles sneak the lotion out of the store.
When police caught up with Robles, they allegedly found the lotion tucked into his pants. In total, the merchandise was worth almost $66 and Robles was charged with a felony because of a prior conviction, according to a department report on the incident.
Body wash targeted in theft
Police were called to the Ultra Foods grocery store at about 2 p.m. Oct. 8 for a report of two suspects attempting to steal an armload of personal hygiene products from the retailer. A security employee was able to detain one of the suspects in the store, but met police in the parking lot where the second suspect was sitting in the passenger seat of a car.
Authorities asked the woman in the car, Misty McQueen, 36, of Chicago, to step out of the vehicle. In her hands she held what appeared to be a new bottle of body wash, according to a department report. On the floor of the car was a large purse that appeared to be stuffed with similar items.
According to the police report, the store employee told authorities a total of four individuals appeared to be involved in the alleged theft. Two of those suspects acted as lookouts.
Darryl Pryor, 43, also of Chicago, was the other suspect apprehended by the store employee, and allegedly had nine bottles of various items tucked into his coat. The items had a total retail value of $33.75. Because Pryor has 2008 conviction for retail theft on his record, he was charged with a felony.
McQueen, meanwhile, had a total of 24 items in her possession with a total value of $108.
Suspended license: No driving
A Cicero man driving through Forest Park along Roosevelt Road was taken into custody Oct. 8 after police learned he shouldn’t have been driving at all.
According to a department report, 32-year-old Norman Connor was traveling in a red Cadillac at about 7 p.m. when a registration check revealed the license plate belonged to a Buick. Connor was stopped at the intersection with Home Avenue and allegedly told the officer that his license was suspended. Asked about the registration, Connor allegedly said the Buick was his old car and he moved the tags to the Cadillac. He intended to have the registrations and insurance transferred when he had the money to do so, he said, according to a department report.
Police took the man into custody and filed an aggravated charge of driving on a suspended license, a felony. The harsher charge was lodged because Connor has three prior convictions for driving on a suspended license, all of which came prior to a 2007 conviction for driving under the influence.
Suspected sex offender arrested
Federal investigators contacted Forest Park police with information on a suspect wanted by Iowa authorities for second-degree sexual abuse and false imprisonment, according to a department report. The FBI believed the man was working at a car dealership on Roosevelt. With assistance from other officers involved in a local task force, Forest Park police visited the dealership at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 8 and found the man in question. Alejandro Montano, 41, of Chicago, was taken into custody and turned over to county authorities for extradition.
Stolen snacks lead to chase
A shoplifting suspect was taken into police custody Oct. 8 after a CVS employee chased the man into nearby River Forest after he allegedly stole $3.57 worth of junk food.
According to a department report, 27-year-old William Marcy, of River Grove, paid for a Hostess cupcake, but neglected to own up to the candy bar, chocolate milk and apple pie stuffed into his pocket, according to police. When Marcy walked through the doors, an employee began running after him and chased him onto Lake Street in River Forest where police caught up with the duo.
“That was stupid for taking those things … I had money to pay … I messed up,” Marcy allegedly told the officer.
He has a prior conviction for retail theft, but an assistant state’s attorney did not approve felony charges in the case.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, 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
