Fake Check At Car Dealership; Theft At School: Highland Park Blotter

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The following information comes from the Highland Park and Highwood police departments and public records as a record of incidents reported to the police and of those arrested by police. Criminal charges represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

INCIDENTS

THEFT
Someone stole a school-issued iPad from a backpack that had been left unattended at Edgewood Middle School, 2031 Sheridan Road, prior to around 3 p.m. March 6.

SHOPLIFTING
Someone stole about eight to 10 bottles of alcohol worth more than $420 from the Sunset Foods, 1812 Green Bay Road, before leaving in a white Nissan, police were told around 12:30 p.m. on March 17.

STOLEN CAR
A Toyota SUV was stolen from a driveway in the 300 block of Prospect Avenue at some point between 4 p.m. March 11 and 10 a.m. March 12 after the keys were left inside. The car was recovered in a driveway in the 100 block of Prospect Avenue, with no damage and nothing stolen.

CAR BURGLARIES/ATTEMPTS

• Someone got into a Jeep parked in a driveway in the 2000 block of Green Bay Road between the evening of March 10 and the afternoon of March 12. Nothing was reported stolen from inside.
• Around 4:30 a.m. on March 12, several unidentified people dressed in dark clothing got out of a car and tried unsuccessfully to open the door to a locked Lexus parked in a driveway in the 500 block of Chicago Avenue.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• At some point before noon on March 10, someone entered a communal laundry room at a building in the 300 block of Walker Avenue and poured bleach into the loaded washing machines, causing a reported $70 in damage to property.
• Around 9:30 a.m. on March 13, staff at Fifth Third Bank, 799 Central Ave., called to report someone or something had damaged an overhead light and security camera in the ATM lane, leaving them hanging from the ceiling. The cost of the damage was not known at the time of the report.
• Around 9 a.m. on March 15, police were told someone had broken a window pane of a home in the 800 block of Deerfield Road, causing an unknown amount of damage.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Sade Crockett, 36, of the 7000 block of South Lowe Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 6:15 p.m. on March 10 and charged with forgery after police were called to McGrath Kia, 250 Skokie Valley Road, where Crockett had reportedly tried to buy a car with a cashier's check for $30,710.05. Police said bank representatives informed car dealership employees that the check was fraudulent.

Kyle R. Conger, 34, of the 600 block of Sheridan Road, Highwood, was arrested on the afternoon of March 11 on a warrant for failure to appear in Tazewell County Court after police were dispatched to a report of an accident west of Highway 41. Records show the warrant was issued in April 2018 in connection with charges of driving with a suspended license and an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.

Gabriel Delta-Ortega, 34, of the 2700 block of Lauretta Place, Highland Park, was arrested around 8:30 p.m. on March 15 and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol—a felony due to having a suspended or revoked license—misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol, fleeing or attempting to elude police and driving with a suspended or revoked license. Police tried to pull him over for using a cell phone in the 600 block of Central Avenue, but he refused to stop despite police using lights and sirens. Another agency later pulled him over, and Delta-Ortega was also issued a citation for operating a vehicle while using an electronic communications device.

Mario Puharich, 53, of the 1300 block of Ridge Road, Highland Park, was arrested around 4 a.m. on March 17 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police were called to a report of a traffic crash in the 1300 block of Ridge Road. Puharich was also issued citations for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and improper lane usage.

Blanca Y. Martinez Alcantar, 36, of the 3000 block of Ruth Street, Franklin Park, was arrested around 5 a.m. on March 19 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater after police were called to a driving complaint at the intersection of Park Avenue West and Skokie Valley Road, where officers found her slumped over the steering wheel before taking her into custody.

Earlier: Waukegan Woman Faces Felony For Fleeing Police; Pickpocket Steals Over $9,000; Accused Car Burglar Turns Self In; Driver Damages Drive-Thru: Highland Park Police Blotter

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