Thief Steals More Than $100,000 Worth Of Necklaces From Store: 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

HOME BURGLARY
Someone broke into a home in the 2000 block of Churchill Lane by forcing open a side door, making off with a safe and a necklace from inside at some point between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15.

RUSE HOME BURGLARY
Around 3 p.m. on Feb. 17, police were called to a home in the 2100 block of Churchill Court for a report that two people somehow distracted the house sitters in the driveway while an accomplice broke into the house through an interior garage door. After the trio of burglars left in a black SUV, the house sitters realized someone had rummaged through the bedroom, but it was not known what, if anything, was stolen at the time of the report. One of the burglars claimed he was doing drainage work for Lake County, while another offered to clear subject off the roof. Both carried hand-held radios and were wearing face coverings and orange reflective vests.

STOLEN CAR
Around 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, police were dispatched to the 500 block of Glenview Avenue for a report that someone had stolen a Toyota SUV that had been left unlocked in the driveway with its keys inside.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• Someone damaged the door to a Ford SUV parked in the 1500 block of Cloverdale Avenue in an attempt to break in sometime on Feb. 13.
• Someone cracked the windows and damaged the side lock of a sedan parked at the Genesis of Highland Park car dealership at 490 Skokie Valley Road at some point on or before the afternoon of Feb. 23.

THEFTS

• Between 10 and 11 a.m. on Feb. 13, someone stole an Apple Watch from the Center for Breast Health, 757 Park Avenue West, police were told the following day.
• Someone stole a wallet from the Pottery Barn, 1850 Second Street, at some point between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Feb. 20. The wallet contained credit cards, gift cards, identification and cash, the value of which was not known at the time of the report.

CAR BURGARIES

• Someone stole flowers and a gift that had been left on the passenger seat of an unlocked car parked at the Walgreens, 655 Elm Place, at some point on Feb. 18.
• Around 5 p.m. on Feb. 25, an alarm for Jeep went off in the 2400 block of Waukegan Avenue. Police were told someone rummaged through the center console and stole a case containing the car's owner's manual and insurance card.

SHOPLIFTING

• Someone walked into Jacqueline's of Highland Park, 209 Skokie Valley Road, and stole a roll of necklaces at some point prior to 4 p.m. on Feb. 22. The stolen necklaces were estimated to have been worth about $108,000.
• Someone stole two Oculus virtual reality headsets and an Xbox gaming console controller from the Target, 2099 Skokie Valley Road, around noon on Feb. 25 for a loss of about $980.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Andre D. Brown, 50, of the 7000 block of 26th Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was arrested around 3 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after officers pulled him over for a lane violation near the intersection of Old Elm and Skokie Valley roads and determined he was too drunk to drive. He was also issued citations for illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver and improper lane usage.

Joel Velez Gonzalez, 32, of Agus Buenas, Puerto Rico, was arrested around 11 p.m. on Feb. 19 and charged with disorderly conduct for reportedly making a false fire alarm at the parking garage of Highland Park Hospital, 715 Park Ave. West. He reportedly told officers he was lost and wanted help.

Owen A. Branch, 23, of the 1600 block of Beverly Place, Highland Park, was arrested around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 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 dispatched to a complaint about a driver found him at the intersection of Churchill and Kipling lanes. Police reported he admitted he was impaired while driving.

Starmesha V. Prater, 24, of the 1400 block of West 62nd Street, Chicago, was arrested around 9 p.m. on Feb. 22 and charged with forgery after police were called to the Walgreens at 632 Roger Williams Avenue for a report that someone had used an altered document. Officers also investigated recent reports of forgery at the 655 Elm Place Walgreens location. When they found a vehicle that matched the description of the one involved in the forgery, they pulled it over and took Prater, who was identified by a witness, into custody. She reportedly used counterfeit cash to buy gift cards, cosmetics and various other merchandise in three separate incidents.

Javier Mejia Guzman, 49, of the 700 block of Deerfield Road, Highland Park, was arrested shortly before 1 a.m. on Feb. 27 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after officers were dispatched to a one-car traffic crash near Central Avenue and Deerfield Road. Mejia Guzman, who had driven into a light pole and heavily damaged his car, was also issued a citation for improper lane usage.

Earlier: 4 Businesses Burglarized In Single Night: Highland Park Police Blotter, Jan. 30 to Feb. 12

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