Elmhurst Police Report Recent Scams and General Thievery

Theft by Deception

A resident of the 300 block of North Ridgeland told police at 9:15 p.m. June 17 that someone blocked access to his computer. It was determined the computer was blocked by a virus known as Green Dot Money Pack Virus, which directs the victim to pay $300 to have their computer unblocked. The victim followed the directions provided by the virus and purchased the Money Pack for $304.95. He did this twice, for a total loss of $609.90. He was advised not to make any more purchases and to seek help removing the virus.

Possession of Stolen Property

Hali Estrada, 25, 475 S. Argyle Apt. 1B, Elmhurst, was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property after police pulled im over for improper use of registration at West and St. Charles at 5:11 p.m. June 15. Estrada was found to be in possession of a stolen license plate renewal sticker, police said.

Theft Arrest

Dale K. Heilenbach, 68, 2701 Burton Drive, Westchester, was arrested and charged with theft after he allegedly took a package of cookies and a carton of chocolate milk worth $3.38 at Elmhurst College, 190 E. Prospect, at 5:56 p.m. June 17. He was released on bond.

Identity Theft

A resident of the 200 block of South Poplar told police someone withdrew funds from his Fifth Third Bank checking account on June 4 via Moneyline wire transfer.

A resident of the 100 block of South Cottage Hill Avenue told police on June 8 that someone made a large purchase at Nordstrom using his financial information.

Someone fraudulently used a Walmart debit card to make unauthorized transactions totaling between $500 and $1,000. The victim suspects his two friends, since the card went missing while he was hanging out with them between 11:30 p.m. June 8 and 8:55 a.m. June 9.

Theft

Someone removed 15 yellow smiley-face lawn decorations from the front of a home on the 500 block of Walut between 5 p.m. June 8 and noon June 9. Loss is estimated at $65.

The lock on a Chevy Express was punched while the vehicle was parked on the 500 block of West Grand between 6:30 p.m. June 7 and 3:30 p.m. June 9. Nothing appeared to be missing.

Someone pumped gas and pulled away from the Shell station, 301 W. Butterfield Road, with the nozzle and hose still attached to the vehicle at 9:30 p.m. June 9. Total loss is $375, police said.

A wallet and keys were stolen from a pew at Grace Bible Church, 398 Eggleston, at 8:17 p.m. June 10. The keys were found in a garbage can in the men's bathroom, but the wallet was not found.

A locked, purple Crossroads specialized XL mountain bike was taken from the bike rack across from 120 Park between 5:45 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. June 11. The bike was worth about $350.

A Samsung Galaxy 3 cell phone worth $200 was taken from the skate park, 655 S. York Road, at 8 p.m. June 11.

A store manager at Dominick's, 215 S. Route 83, saw a suspect push a cart filled with cases of beer, Red Bull and toilet paper toward the north exit at 11:28 a.m. June 12. He stopped short of leaving, sat down at Starbuck's for several minutes, then left the store. He inched the cart toward the door and returned to the building at least six times, police said. He finally left for good at about 12:15 p.m. While the store manager reviewed the video footage, she witnessed the suspect placing several DVDs in his shorts and walking over to the cart filled with Red Bull and beer, then leaving the store at 12:21 p.m. the same day. The DVDs were valued at $86.39. The suspect is described as a white man, 6-foot-6-inches to 6-foot-10-inches tall, 450 pounds wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and black shorts.

An unlocked Diamondback mountain bike worth $150 was taken from a bike rack at York High School, 355 W. St. Charles Road, between 3:30 and 5 p.m. June 13.

A locked Schwinn Sierra bicycle was taken from the bike rack near the train station, 136 Park, between 8 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. June 15. The lock was cut from the bike. Loss is estimated at $400.

A bag containing an iPhone, credit card and $7 was taken from the 400 block of East Schiller at 3:48 p.m. June 16. The bag was recovered but the items inside were missing.

A wallet was taken from an unlocked vehicle parked on a driveway on the 400 block of North Maple between 10:45 p.m. June 15 and 7 a.m. June 16. The wallet was recovered but $23 was missing.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to contact karenc@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.