Knife-wielding man robs sandwich store
A man armed with a knife made off with almost $200 in cash from the register at Subway, 321-A Harlem Ave., Forest Park police have reported.
According to police, a man reportedly walked into the store about 10:20 a.m. on May 15 and pretended he was going to buy three cookies, giving the employee a $50 bill. The employee was in the process of handing the man his change when he reportedly ran to the side of the counter and pulled out a knife with a blade about 8 inches long.
The man allegedly grabbed the right hand of the female employee and threatened to cut her if she didn’t open the register for him. The employee opened the register and the man grabbed the paper currency before ordering the employee to sit on the floor behind the counter.
He then fled the store on foot to the south. Police searched the area but were unable to locate a suspect. The victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the offender. Police continue to investigate the incident.
Cops bust alleged drug dealer
A 63-year-old Forest Park man faces multiple felony drug charges after Forest Park police raided his apartment in the 7600 block of Madison Street on May 15.
Police stated the arrest was part of an ongoing narcotics investigation and executed a search warrant around 9:30 a.m. along with officers from the West Suburban Drug and Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force.
Robert F. Murphy Jr. was placed under arrest as police, accompanied by drug-sniffing dogs, searched the apartment.
Officers reported finding about 65 grams of cannabis, packaged for delivery, and two bottles containing more than 60 prescription pills of various controlled substances.
Murphy, a bartender, reportedly told police he sold the cannabis to help pay the bills, but that he used the prescription drugs himself, saying he obtained them from customers who leave pills at the bar.
Police also reported recovering $380 in cash, including a $20 bill used by police to make a controlled drug buy that helped lead to the procurement of the search warrant.
Murphy was charged with six felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, felony possession of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, and possession of drug equipment.
Deliveries disappear
A resident of the 7500 block of Brown Avenue contacted police on May 14 to report that a Dell laptop computer, valued at more than $500, was stolen from his residence earlier in the month.
The victim told police that UPS delivered the computer to his residence on May 1 and left it with another package containing a GPS unit. A neighbor reported seeing the boxes for both the GPS and computer on the doorstep that day, according to the police report.
However, when the victim came home that day, the box containing the computer was missing.
A resident of the 1500 block of Circle Avenue notified police on May 14 that on May 4 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., someone stole a UPS package off her front porch.
The package was about 11 feet long and contained a gazebo she had ordered online for about $340.
Garage burglaries
A resident of the 100 block of Elgin Avenue contacted police twice last week to complain that someone had broken into her garage on two different occasions.
On May 13, the victim called police to report someone had entered the unlocked garage, smashed out a window of her 2010 Honda and removed two rolling suitcases that contained bottles of wine.
On May 14, she met a repair man at the garage and found that her vehicle had been burglarized again. Missing were two cases of various bottles of wine valued at $500. Also taken were two jackets, a Bluetooth speaker, wine bottle openers and loose change.
A resident of the 7400 block of Franklin Street notified police on the morning of May 17 that someone broke into his garage during the overnight hours. Reported missing were hundreds of dollars in various tools and work clothing and equipment.
Caught napping
Forest Park police arrested a 33-year-old Oak Park man and turned him over to the Illinois Department of Corrections after a cleaning lady found him sleeping inside the Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd., on May 13 about 10 p.m.
Joel Holzberg, who was on parole for retail theft, told police he fell asleep while reading. Police also learned Holzberg was wanted by IDOC on a warrant for violating the terms of his electronic monitoring.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, May 11-17, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
—Compiled by Bob Uphues
