Alleged home repair scam artists arrested
Forest Park police charged two Chicago men with aggravated home repair fraud after they reportedly told a village resident they were employed by a local contractor and had come to do work on her property.
Police responded to a residence in the 1300 block of Harlem Avenue on Dec. 4 about 11:45 a.m. after a homeowner called to report subjects doing repair work who did not work for the company they claimed to represent.
According to police, Sonny Ziko, 60, and Michael Ziko, 40, knocked on the homeowner’s door stating they were from a roofing company and were there to fix the home’s foundation for $100.
The homeowner called the construction company, which confirmed it had not sent any workers to the property to do any work. Meanwhile, the Zikoses went into the backyard and started to do concrete work, doing about $800 in damage to the property, according to the police report.
The two subjects were in the backyard of the home when police arrived on the scene. In addition to the felony charges against the Zikoses, police charged a 23-year-old Chicago man, who was driving the truck the Zikoses used to get to the Forest Park home, with driving on a suspended license.
A fourth subject was released without being charged.
Attempted burglary
Police charged a 19-year-old Forest Park man with burglary after he was caught allegedly attempting to steal a bicycle from a garage in the 600 block of Lathrop Avenue on Dec. 5 about 2:50 a.m.
A private alarm company alerted police to an activated alarm for the garage of the residence. The homeowner was also notified. Police arrived and reported hearing loud banging noises coming from inside the garage.
Shortly after, a man identified as Jordan A. Haven exited the garage and was taken into custody by police. The homeowner said she did not know Haven and he did not have permission to inside the garage.
While inside, Haven reportedly removed a bicycle from a wall inside the garage and was attempting to maneuver it around two vehicles parked there.
Police were dispatched to the 600 block of Beloit Avenue on Dec. 4 about 9:20 p.m. after someone called to report a subject trying to steal a bicycle from a yard.
A witness told police he saw the subject leaving a neighbor’s yard with a bicycle. The witness confronted the subject, who fled northbound through the alley between Beloit and Ferdinand avenues.
Police reported finding that a garage window had been broken at the property where the subject was seen with the bicycle.
Is that you, cuz?
A 40-year-old man contacted police on Dec. 4 about 4:15 a.m. to report that someone had picked his pocket while he was standing outside the north entrance of the CTA Blue Line terminal at 711 Desplaines Ave.
The victim told police he felt his left jacket pocket being picked. When he turned around, he saw a man who appeared to be his cousin, running westbound toward Van Buren. The victim said his cellphone had been stolen.
Asked for his cousin’s information, the victim told police that he hadn’t seen the relative in a long time and didn’t have any contact information.
Vehicle break-ins
A resident of the 500 block of Thomas Avenue reported to police that during the overnight hours of Nov. 29-30, someone entered his 2008 Mercedes-Benz and removed loose change and a wallet containing credit cards. The victim also found a tablet device that didn’t belong to him inside the vehicle.
Police reported that during the overnight hours of Nov. 29-30, someone entered an unlocked 2010 Ford Focus parked in the 800 block of Beloit Avenue and removed about $5 in loose change from a cup holder.
A resident of the 7200 block of Roosevelt Road called police to report that someone had broken into her unlocked 2006 Honda, which was parked in the rear of her building overnight on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
In the morning she noticed the glove boxes were open and that a black purse was missing. The purse was located between a pair of buildings nearby. Nothing of value was reported missing.
Package stolen
A resident of the 1000 block of Thomas Avenue contacted police on Nov. 30 to report that she had ordered an item online and it was reportedly delivered to her residence on Nov. 29.
A neighbor reportedly found the box torn open and lying on the parkway at the corner of Fillmore and Thomas.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 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
