Woman Uses Gloves To Hide Barcodes During Retail Theft: Northbrook Police Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — The following information comes from the Northbrook Police Department and court records as a record of incidents reported to police and those arrested on criminal charges, which represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed to be innocent unless found guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

ARRESTS

RETAIL THEFT

• Barbara M. Taraszka, of Arlington Heights, is accused of retail theft, and was arrested at 3:18 p.m. Sept. 14, in the 800 block of Willow Road. The loss prevention staff at the store had seen her come into the store, and because of previous incidents with Taraszka, watched her on the surveillance cameras. Taraszka brought $379.99 worth of groceries to the self-checkout, but only scanned one item for $245.74. It was learned that Taraszka was using gloves to hide the barcode while bagging the groceries. A court date of Oct. 23 was assigned.
• Orion Thomas and Jade Mercado, both of Evanston, are accused of felony retail theft, and were arrested at 3:25 p.m. Sept. 15, in the 200 block of Skokie Boulevard. Several officers responded to a sporting goods store regarding a theft in progress. While officers were in the area, they found the fleeing vehicle across the street parked at a bank. The officers stopped the vehicle and spoke to the occupants. Two of the occupants, Thomas and Mercado, were identified as stealing two high end sports bags from the store, valued at $832.70. A court date of Sept. 18 was assigned.
• Samantha Ausmus, who had an active warrant out of Northbrook, was arrested at 4:10 p.m. Sept. 16, in the 1000 block of Skokie Boulevard. Police saw her inside her vehicle in a parking lot. She was taken to the Cook County Jail and assigned a court date of Sept. 17.
  

LAST WEEK'S BLOTTER: Wisconsin Man Charged With Public Indecency — Northbrook Police Blotter

INCIDENTS

BURGLARY TO VEHICLE

A citizen reported at 6:08 p.m. Sept. 12, she had parked her 2019 red Chevrolet at her fitness center parking lot in the 1800 block of Janke Drive. When she returned 90 minutes later, she found her passenger window was smashed. She noticed her purse was stolen out of the car, which contained $250 her ID, and debit card.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Northbrook Park District staff reported at 10:04 a.m. Sept. 13, someone had damaged the two soap dispensers in the bathroom at a park in the 1800 block of Walters Avenue. The person had then spread the soap throughout the bathroom walls and mirrors.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD

A business owner in the 1400 block of Lake Cook Road reported at 11:19 a.m. Sept. 13, his business had received notifications that their credit card had been fraudulently used at a high-end retail shop. While looking into the matter, the owner of the company stated their current credit card was still in their possession. The credit card number that was fraudulently used was their old credit card that had expired. The unknown person tried purchasing $9,515 worth of product, but since it was an old credit card number, the sale was denied.

BICYCLE THEFT

A citizen reported at 5:17 p.m. Sept. 13, that he had parked his red Trek Marlin bicycle in front of a grocery store in the 700 block of Skokie Boulevard, but had left it unlocked. When he returned, the bicycle had been stolen. The surveillance camera footage recorded a male walking up to the bicycle and riding it away when the owner was inside the store.

FLEEING AND ELUDING

• Police saw a blue sports utility vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed at 9:47 p.m. Sept. 13, at Woodlawn Road and Shermer Avenue. When the officer tried catching up with the vehicle, it quickly turned on to a side street. The officer turned on his emergency lights, but the vehicle turned off his lights and proceeded to speed away in the dark. The officer lost sight of the vehicle a few blocks later.
• Police saw a silver Chevrolet pickup truck that had been used in several burglaries in Buffalo Grove and Glenview at 2:37 a.m. Sept. 14, at Willow and Pfingsten roads. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop. The driver quickly got on to Route 294 from Willow Road and sped away.

IDENTITY THEFT

A complainant in the 2000 block of Greenview Road reported at 4:10 p.m. Sept. 16, that someone had used his social security number to obtain a job in Swansea. The complainant noticed the fraud when he attempted to complete his taxes and noticed the discrepancy with his reported wages. The complainant confirmed he had never worked for any company in Swansea.

EMAIL SCAM

A Kingsley Circle resident reported at 12:02 p.m. Sept. 17, that they were in the process of purchasing an out-of-state home. She received an email from what she thought was her realtor asking for a wire transfer to the title company in the amount of $21,430.21. The complainant wired the money into the account that was listed. She later found out that her realtor's email had been hacked and the account she wired the money to was a fake account.

PHONE SCAM

A Walters Avenue resident reported at 9:09 a.m. Sept. 18, that someone she had met on a social media website wanted to provide her money. After the complainant received three checks totaling $2,400, the person sent threatening messages to the complainant requesting the money back. After the complainant sent the money back via Zelle, she realized the original checks she received were fake and the money she sent was gone.