River Forest Police Reports: Drug Possession, Theft, Identity Theft

The following information is courtesy of the River Forest Police Department.

At 4:58 p.m. April 29, officers were sent to 7245 W. Lake St., Whole Foods Market, for a report of a man using narcotics in the men’s restroom. Responding officers contacted the man and a woman. The man was found to be in possession of seven small bags containing suspect heroin, and the woman was found to be in possession of six small bags of suspect heroin plus three pipes commonly used to ingest narcotics. Both people were also in possession of silver colored spoons, lighters and numerous syringes. Matthew R. Natale, 24 of Rockford, and Nikki A. Schaefer, 26 of Alsip, were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 11:11 a.m. May 2, officers were sent to 7929 W. North Ave., CVS Pharmacy, for a retail theft. A man had fled the store with approximately $330 worth of Crest Whitestrips. The man was found at North Avenue and Forest with the stolen merchandise. Spann Tajak, 41 of Chicago, was taken into custody. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Felony Review Unit was contacted and they approved one count of Class 3 felony retail theft.

At 6:52 p.m. May 3, an officer was sent to the 400 block of Ashland for an identity theft report. The victim said her identity had been compromised after applying for a car loan, and several fraudulent accounts were opened in her name. About $12,300 worth of unauthorized credit card charges was made through Kohls, Saks 5th Avenue and Sam’s Club. The victim is working with the credit bureaus and retail stores to resolve the issue.

At 12:47 a.m. May 4, officers responded to 7525 W. Lake St., Jewel Foods, for a retail theft. Store personnel said a person had stolen $139 worth of Secret deodorant and fled the store. Detectives are awaiting store security video footage for further investigative leads.