Forest Park police responded to a business in the 7400 block of Roosevelt Road on the morning of Dec. 11 after an employee called police to report that someone had broken into the business earlier that day and stole two bags of cash from a locked basement office.
According to police, surveillance camera video showed an unknown man entering the business at 5:35 a.m. with a key and typing in a code to disarm the alarm system. The offender then went downstairs and pried open a padlock securing the office door. The offender then removed two bank bags containing an undisclosed amount of cash before walking out the front door and leaving the area northbound.
The offender did not bother taking anything from the two cash registers or anything else of value from the business. Police are continuing to investigate the burglary.
Suspected snowblower thieves nabbed
Police arrested a 43-year-old man and a 47-year-old man, both of Chicago, for theft after they reportedly walked away with a pair of snowblowers from Moran’s Garage, 157 Desplaines Ave., on Dec. 11 about 12:45 a.m.
A witness told police he observed two subjects, a man and a woman, walking onto the garage property and pushing away two snowblowers. They were last seen northbound on Desplaines Avenue. Police detained the subjects, who possessed two snowblowers, in the 7500 block of Dixon Street. One of the subjects, the 47-year-old, was a man dressed as a woman.
Both men were charged with misdemeanor theft.
Burglary
A resident of the 800 block of Thomas Avenue reported to police that between 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 and 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 9 someone entered the rear door of his residence by breaking a small window on the back door and reaching through to unlock it.
Once inside, the offender took two iPods, an iPad, an X Box videogame system, a Wii videogame system, a laptop and several charging cords.
An attempted residential burglary was foiled on the night of Dec. 10 after two or three men picked a residence in the 900 block of Ferdinand Avenue that was occupied. Two residents inside the home said they heard the sound of glass break and, when they went to investigate, they reported seeing two men walking away from the rear of the residence and possibly a third near the garage.
One of the victims told police he was holding two suspects at gunpoint, but when police arrived there were no suspects in the area.
Police observed broken windows at the basement level and on a second-floor rear porch, but entry appeared to have been gained. Officers recovered a shovel and a candle, which police believed were used to break the glass, and a glove that was found in the alley for evidence.
Police responded to a residence in the 100 block of Brown Avenue after a resident called to report that, during the overnight hours of Dec. 3-4, someone pried open the side service door to her garage to gain entry.
Nothing of value appeared to be missing from the garage, according to the police report, but the service door and door frame were damaged.
Not bringing it back
A manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 7630 Roosevelt Road, contacted police on Dec. 6 to report that a customer had rented a car and was refusing to return it.
The alleged offender reportedly rented the vehicle on Nov. 7 and was slated to return it on Nov. 14. But the vehicle was never returned and its location was unknown.
The business’ corporate office was able to contact the person who rented the vehicle and told him he had to return it. However, the man reportedly told the company’s representative that he wouldn’t be doing that.
Police entered the vehicle into the Law Enforcement Agency Data System as stolen.
Police arrest driver in funeral procession
Forest Park police charged a 23-year-old Chicago man with reckless driving after he allegedly swerved his 2000 Ford Contour, which was part of a funeral procession, from lane to lane and into oncoming traffic while southbound in the 700 block of Desplaines Avenue on Dec. 6 around 12:37 p.m.
Many cars from the procession reportedly took over all lanes of traffic as it passed west through Oak Park on Jackson Boulevard into Forest Park. A police officer apprehended the driver of the Ford at Forest Home Cemetery and transported him to the police station for processing.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 5-11, 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
