Cracked windshield leads to heroin stash

Authorities charged Eliso Negron, 50, of Elgin with one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug equipment. On June 22 around 4 p.m., police stopped Negron’s 2002 Chevrolet sedan after seeing the front windshield was cracked. A records check showed that Negron and another passenger in the car both had prior arrests for possession of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle revealed seven bags of heroin, totaling 2.1 grams.

Possession of controlled substance

Tonya Lassen of Hoffman Estates has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug equipment. On June 27, officers saw the 26-year-old woman driving 25 miles per hour westbound on I-290 in a 55-mile-per-hour zone. After stopping the car, a search of Lassen’s 1993 Toyota Corolla revealed 12 bags containing 5.2 grams of heroin as well as other drug paraphernalia. 

Burglary from motor vehicle

On June 23, a woman, 41, told officers her 2000 blue Pontiac Grand Am, parked on the 1000 block of Ferdinand, was burglarized. She had parked the car on June 22 around 9:30 p.m. and discovered the break-in early the next morning.

A 51-year-old man found his 1999 silver Mercedes ML320 burglarized in the CTA commuter parking lot, 711 Desplaines Ave., after returning from work around 8 p.m. on June 25. The man had parked his car there earlier that morning. The interior driver’s side handle was broken and spare change was missing from the center console.

On June 26 around midnight, a man returned to his home in the 1000 block of Ferdinand Avenue. On his way in the back door, he saw two unknown men sitting inside his 2000 black Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 42-year-old then confronted the two men. They fled, taking spare change and a key fob.

On June 26 around 8 a.m., authorities responded to a car burglary in the 1000 block of Dunlop Avenue. The two victims, a 31-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman, told officers they had parked their 2011 white Nissan Rogue next to their garage the evening before around 6 p.m. The next morning, the woman found the car with its front doors ajar and among other things, a fourth generation iPod Touch missing from the vehicle. 

Battery

On June 23 around 11 p.m., a woman, 23, was walking down the street near the 7-Eleven, 205 Harlem Ave., when an unknown man approached and began asking for her name, phone number and address. The women told the man to leave her alone. But he persisted, grabbed her arm and even tried to lift up her dress. The woman was able to run into the BP gas station, Washington Street and Harlem Avenue, and ask for help. The man, described as 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, was last seen walking northbound on Harlem toward Randolph Street. 

Retail theft

A 24-year-old Chicago man has been charged with one count of retail theft after stealing $54.10 worth of deodorant from a Walgreens, 7200 Roosevelt Road, on June 24 around 8 p.m. The store manager saw the theft occur and followed the man outside but lost track of him. The police began searching the nearby area and eventually found the alleged thief on the CTA Blue Line platform, 701 Harlem Ave.

Authorities charged a 39-year-old Maywood man with one count of retail theft after he was caught stealing a $7 bottle of vodka from the CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., on June 25 around 1:30 p.m.

A Chicago was charged with one count of felony retail theft after stealing $65.17 worth of soap and deodorant from the CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., on June 24 around 1 p.m. Employees witnessed the theft, and police quickly found the 49-year-old man, who has dozens of previous arrests, including nine convictions for larceny.

Two Chicago men have each been charged with one count of retail theft after stealing $139.97 of alcohol from Forest Park Liquors, 7429 Madison St., on June 25 around 6:30 p.m. Outside the store, police stopped a man who matched the description provided by a store clerk. The 26-year-old man acknowledged he was in the store when the theft happened but denied involvement. Authorities placed him under arrest, but the man began to run. An officer was able to grab onto the fleeing man and they both slammed into a nearby squad car, causing a large dent in the fender. Security footage shows a third man helping with the theft but efforts to find him failed. 

 These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, June 22-28, 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 Tom Vogel