Forest Park police contacted the FBI after a 69-year-old resident called on Jan. 25 to report that he had been scammed out of more than $175,000 over a five- to six-year span.

The victim told police that five or six years ago he’d been contacted by phone by someone who identified himself as someone investigating immigration crimes in Mexico and Guatemala. The caller told the victim that an “immigrant” possibly was using his Social Security number and other personal information to misrepresent themselves.

On numerous occasion over the following years, the same person would call the victim and instruct him to send money via gift cards, which he would buy in large dollar amounts and provide the gift card numbers over the phone.

The victim said he suspected he was the victim of a scam when the caller told him he was keeping his money safe for him and wouldn’t return it.

Police advised the man to cease further contact with the caller and notified the FBI due to the large amount of money involved.

Bullet shatters salon door

Police responded to Supercuts, 319 Harlem Ave., on Jan. 28 at about 4:10 p.m. after the manager called to report hearing a “bang” and then seeing the front glass door to the business shatter.

According to the police report, there were glass shards on the grounds and hanging from the door frame. They also reported recovering a bullet jacket from the floor of the salon.

Just prior to the shot, someone inside the salon reported seeing a man wearing an orange knit hat run southbound past the business. Then she heard a shot and saw the man running back north past the salon.

Security video showed a black sedan driving southbound through the lot with the man in the orange hat running after it. A moment later the salon door shatters and the man with the hat runs back north, enters a vehicle and leaves southbound.

Alleged burglar arrested, charged

Jimekke L. Henderson, 20, of Chicago, was charged with two counts of burglary after allegedly breaking into two Forest Park businesses during the early morning hours of Jan. 28.

At 2:30 a.m., police responded to a burglary in progress at Starbucks Coffee, 7231 Madison St., after someone called to report a window shattered and someone walking around inside the store.

Police arrived and observed someone running out of the store. Officers gave chase and located Henderson under the rear stairs of a residence in the 300 block of Elgin Avenue. Police said Henderson used a large rock to break the window.

Later that day, police received a call from someone at USA Beverage, 7200 Madison St., who said that business had also been burglarized and that video of the offender had been captured on a security camera.

The offender used a large brick to break the glass door of the business to gain entry at about 2:15 a.m., exiting at 2:23 a.m. Police recognized the offender in the USA Beverage break-in as Henderson.

Checks stolen, altered

A 64-year-old Forest Park man went to police on Jan. 29 to report that three checks he’d written to pay routine bills amounting to $1,300 had been obtained by someone who altered them and removed more than $28,000 from his bank account.

The victim told police he had placed the checks in the mailbox at the corner of Beloit and Harvard on Jan. 17. While examining his account on Jan. 29, he noticed he was missing $27,000 from his account. He was able to obtain copies of the three checks, which showed changes to the amounts paid, dates and payees.

Vehicle break-ins

An unidentified person reported to Forest Park police on Jan. 27 that between 9:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. someone broke into a Ford truck parked in the 7500 block of Harrison Street by breaking a window and door handle.

The offender then removed the victim’s wallet, which was left in plain view in the center console. The wallet contained identification, $200 in cash and two credit cards, both of which were used at a Footlocker stores in North Riverside and a Michael Kors and Kids Footlocker stores in Schaumburg.

A Forest Park resident called police on the morning of Jan. 30 to report that during the overnight hours, someone broke the driver’s side window of her vehicle, which was parked near the intersection of 14th Street and Elgin Avenue and removed two coats valued at $180.

Robbery

A 64-year-old woman called police on Jan. 26 to report that two people had just robbed her groceries that had been delivered by Amazon to her building in the 1000 block of Desplaines Avenue at about 1:30 p.m.

The delivery driver left the grocery bags in the lobby, and when the victim went downstairs to retrieve them, she found two elderly men going through the bags. When the woman said the groceries belonged to her, one of the men grabbed a bag and walked away.

When the second offender attempted to walk out with a second bag, the victim reportedly pulled the offender back inside, shoved him against the wall, took the grocery bag and went inside.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 24-30, 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