A thief who had stolen eight packages from Forest Park residences on the 1000 block of Thomas, the 900 block of Elgin, the 1000 and 900 blocks of Marengo, and the 1000 block of Hannah was caught on Dec. 12 at 4:34 p.m. on the 800 block of Marengo. Not only was the burglar identified by footage from the homeowner’s Ring doorbell surveillance system, but the stolen packages were found in a black backpack carried by the suspect.
The suspect had stolen packages containing: a $100 TJ Max gift card, a $50 Best Buy gift card, a $50 Amazon gift card, a $100 Bath & Body Works gift card, an iPad case (valued at $27.99), a sweater (valued at $17.50), a Final Fantasy video game guide (valued at $21.93), a wool “Big County Rancher” coat (valued at $199), a black Marika brand pair of exercise leggings (valued at $24.18), a YFFUSHI brand three-piece suit (valued at $99.95), and three packages of Elixir guitar strings from Guitar Center (valued at $53.56).
Counterfeit bills in plastic bag
A man on the 1300 block of Circle Avenue found a small clear plastic sandwich bag containing eleven $50 bills on Dec. 9 at 3:52 a.m. He called the police, and the reporting officer immediately recognized the bills as counterfeit. The officer took possession of the fake money, which will be sent out for destruction.
Man in Chevy eludes police
Police ran the registration of a 2009 red four-door Chevy sedan at Thorntons, 600 Harlem Ave., on Dec. 10 at 11:32 p.m. Upon discovering the owner did not have a valid Illinois driver’s license and with multiple suspensions against his license, and identifying the driver as matching the license description, the officer activated his emergency lights and pulled the vehicle over.
The driver put his hands out the window, and the reporting officer waited for assistance before approaching the vehicle. When the driver began to pull his hands back inside the vehicle, the officer instructed him not to, but the driver then fled at a high rate of speed westbound onto the I-290 expressway. The officer followed in his patrol car, trying to reduce the distance between the vehicles, but after reaching a speed of over 90 mph, the officer turned off his lights and siren, and the Chevy driver escaped.
Liquor burglar lifts whiskey
A man in a black-and-red hooded sweatshirt and carrying a dark backpack stole three 750 ml bottles of apple-flavored Crown whiskey from Forest Park Liquors, 7529 Madison St., on Dec. 12 at 11:24 p.m. The cashier reported that the thief entered the store and walked out with the alcohol, which was valued at $80.97, heading west through the Madison Street alley. Although Forest Park officers canvassed the area, they could not locate the burglar.
Walmart employee arrested for battery
On Dec. 13 at 9:15 p.m. police officers responded to a battery call at Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave. When they arrived, they noticed the caller, a delivery driver, was in his vehicle with a beeping horn.
The driver explained that his horn was stuck, and that when he pulled into the pick-up spot for deliveries, he exited his vehicle and knocked on the Walmart door to alert employees that his horn was broken, but that he was not in a hurry. He said the door “swung open aggressively” and an employee came out throwing punches. The driver said the employee punched him twice in the neck. According to the driver, another employee then came out and tried to pull the first employee away from the driver. The police officer observed redness on the driver’s neck area.
The employee who allegedly struck the driver said he heard a vehicle continuously honking its horn. When he heard someone banging on the door, he opened the door and pushed the driver away, afraid of being attacked. He said the driver approached him a second time, and he pushed him away once more.
The employee was arrested, released, and has a court date at the Maybrook Courthouse.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 8-14, 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.
