Christmas Display Drama, Food Fight and an Onslaught of Liquor Law Violations: Elmhurst Police

The following incidents took place throughout the past week in Elmhurst. As always, an arrest doesn't constitute a finding of guilt.

Car Burglaries

• An LA Fitness employee parked her 2001 Ford Explorer in her work’s parking lot on N. York Street on Nov. 23 when someone shattered her driver’s side window and stole a pink bag and a black bag from her car.
• While parked at the Whole Foods on S. Route 83 for 18 minutes, one victim’s passenger side front window was shattered and her purse was stolen from her car. The burglary took place Nov. 23.

Property damage

• An Elmhurst resident living on the 900 block of Hillcrest reported Nov. 25 that a 6-foot-long strand of Christmas lights on display in his front yard was cut. He said he experienced something similar last year.

DUI

• John Marte, 49, was pulled over for failing to use signals while driving at the crossing of Route 83 and Lake Street on Nov. 23. He was then found to be incapacitated was was arrested for driving under the influence.

Theft

• A man came to the police station Nov. 23 to report a box of five watches missing from his home. He said his basement flooded in August and he had some workers restoring the damage — that’s when he thinks the watches were stolen.
• A woman reported Nov. 25 that someone had stolen an air compressor from her driveway sometime within the past few weeks. After going to Sterling & Knight Pawn Shop in Villa Park to buy a new one, she found hers there for sale.

Domestic violence

• Police responded to a call Nov. 23 about a fight between a minor and his grandmother. They were reportedly arguing about food (and screaming) when the juvenile pushed his grandma’s hand out of the way. Police said he calmed down and promised not to act out again.
• Nov. 25, police responded to a verbal domestic dispute between a husband and wife living on the 100 block of N. Willow. The husband had reportedly come home drunk and his wife locked him out of the bedroom. When he got into the room and tried to push past his wife with his forearm, she bit his hand.

Battery

• A man was evicted from a church, and police responded to the scene on W. Butterfield when someone attacked him, scratching his face and striking him in the head with a cane.

Liquor law violation

• Joan Vacchian, 68, was issued a ticket for failing to check someone’s ID before selling them liquor at the Mariano’s on N. York Street. Unknowingly, she had sold alcohol to someone underage.
• Camille Connell, 53, was also cited for selling liquor to a minor when an investigative aide, who was underage, requested alcohol at the Silverado Grill and she served it without checking ID.
• Graciela Vega, 18, was cited for selling alcohol to a minor at Chipotle on Nov. 23. An investigative aide, who is 19, requested the alcohol and, after checking the minor’s ID, Vega proceeded to ask her manager to get the alcohol.
• Police conducted a liquor compliance check at Pantry Plus in Bensenville after receiving complaints that minors were being allowed to buy alcohol there. Indeed, when they got to the Pantry Plus, they cited Jaimin Patel, 24, for selling alcohol to underage people.

Drugs

• Mark Roland, 41; Veronica Macias, 25; Adam Lawler, 22; an 18-year-old juvenile and Mandreion Woods, 22, were all cited for possession of marijuana.

Harassment

• A woman reported Nov. 27 that she’d received a call from a customer at the beginning of November complaining about a burnt pizza, and that ever since that phone call, he’s been calling back and asking for her work schedule.

Stolen car and credit card fraud

• Robert Prideaux, 41, was arrested after he stole a woman’s car and debit card, made three withdrawals from her bank and was eventually found on W. Butterfield with drug paraphernalia and suspect cocaine.

Identity theft

• A woman reported Nov. 24 that she had lost her wallet after putting it down in a Dominican Republic airport and was unable to find it before she boarded her flight home to Illinois. When she got home, she began receiving notifications for suspicious transactions on her card in the Dominican Republic. Her wallet contained both her Illinois driver’s license and her credit cards.

Retail theft

• A white man wearing a brown jacket, black pants, black shoes and a gray hat was observed stealing three cases of liquor from the Jewel-Osco on S. York Street. Police are following up.
• On Nov. 25, two women went into the Kohl’s on S. Route 83 and each filled up a bag with merchandise before running out of the store and fleeing in a silver Nissan. The two have apparently committed other retail thefts at Kohl’s stores before.

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