$8,000 Grandson Scammer Shows Up At House: Wilmette-Kenilworth Blotter

WILMETTE, IL — The following information comes from the Wilmette and Kenilworth police departments and court records as a record of police activity and incidents reported to the police. Criminal charges merely represent accusations by the state, and county prosecutors often choose to drop or reduce them. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Anyone arrested is innocent unless later proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WILMETTE

INCIDENTS

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY
Someone stole more than $13,000 worth of copper material from a construction site in the 3200 block of Lake Avenue on or before Dec. 11.

HOME BURGLARY
An officer investigating a burglar alarm in the 1100 block of Michigan Avenue around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 found that someone had shattered the exterior glass pane of a back door. The internal pane was intact and no one had gone inside.

GRANDSON SCAM
A Old Glenview Road resident was scammed by a caller who claimed that their grandson had been in a car accident and needed $8,000 to post bond. The resident withdrew the money from a bank and gave it to an unidentified scammer who came to their house on or before Dec. 28.

UBER THEFT
A Park Avenue resident reported on Jan. 4 that they left their jacket containing their wallet and phone in the car of a driver working for a ride-hailing app after a trip from Chicago. The resident, who had also shared the ride with another unidentified passenger, later discovered three unauthorized bank withdrawals in Chicago totaling $500.

STOLEN CAR RECOVERED
Around 9 a.m. on Jan. 21, an officer spotted an empty Hyundai in the 500 block of Laurel Avenue with a broken driver's side window and a peeled steering column. Officers located the car's owner in the 700 block of Laurel Avenue.

COUNTERFEITING
Around 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, three people successfully used counterfeit $100 bills at an unspecified business in the 3200 block of Lake Avenue.

SHOPLIFTING

• Two people stole more than $700 worth of comic books from an unspecified business in the 1100 block of Central Avenue around 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 7.
• Someone stole four bottles of alcohol from an unspecified business in the 400 block of Green Bay Road prior to 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 8.
• Someone stole several bottles of liquor worth $117 from the Walgreens, 3232 Lake Ave., around 1 p.m. on Jan. 26.

MILES THEFTS

• A Lavergne Avenue resident reported on Nov. 26 that someone had used their airline frequent flyer miles without authorization.
• A Prairie Avenue resident reported on Jan. 5 that someone had used their frequent flyer miles to buy a flight from South America to Ohio.

BICYCLE THEFTS

• Someone stole a Trek bicycle worth $600 after it was left unlocked in front of the Jewel-Osco at 411 Green Bay Road on Dec. 9.
• Two men or boys stole an unlocked Marlin bicycle from the 1100 block of Central Avenue around 5:10 p.m. on Dec. 15.
• Shortly before 6 p.m. on Dec. 15, someone stole an unlocked Giant bike from the 1100 block of Wilmette Avenue.

PACKAGE THEFTS

• A package worth $60 was reported stolen from the vestibule of a building in the 1100 block of Greenleaf Avenue on Dec. 3.
• Someone stole some food after it was delivered to a side door of a home in the 3200 block of Temple Lane around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18.
• Someone stole a package containing prescription medications after it was delivered to a lobby of a building in the 1100 block of Greenleaf Avenue on Dec. 22.
• On Dec. 28, a resident in the 2200 block of Wilmette Avenue reported that someone stole a package from near their front door on Dec. 22 and also took the contents from another package on Dec. 28.
• A resident of the 1000 block of Linden Avenue received an empty package on Jan. 5, but it was unclear if it had been stolen or never placed inside.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• An 8th Street resident reported on Dec. 6 that someone used their identity to open up a credit card in July and rack up an unpaid balance of more than $13,000.
• An Elmwood Avenue resident reported on Dec. 12 that someone had used their identity to open up checking and credit card accounts.
• A Greenleaf Avenue resident reported on Dec. 22 that someone had used their identity to fraudulently obtain a credit card and rack up more than $29,000 in charges to it.
• A Prairie Avenue resident reported on Dec. 26 that they had just received notifications of more than $3,000 in unauthorized charges.
• A 6th Street resident reported that someone had used their identity to open up a utility account with more than $1,000 in unpaid charges associated with a home in Chicago.
• A Wilmette Avenue resident reported on Jan. 6 that someone had used their identity to open a credit card.
• A Wilmette Avenue resident reported on Jan. 11 that someone had used their identity to apply for an $11,000 loan.
• An Illinois Road resident reported on Jan. 20 that someone had been added to their credit card account and made several unauthorized transactions.
• A Westwood Lane resident reported on Jan. 24 that someone had unsuccessfully tried to open bank accounts and make purchases with their personal information.

OTHER THEFTS

• Someone stole a camera from outside of a home in the 600 block of Washington Avenue prior to noon on Dec. 19.
• Someone stole a golf bracelet valued at $4,600 from inside a home in the 2100 block of Kenilworth Avenue at some point prior to 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 22.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone broke into the rear driver's side window of a Ford truck in the 600 block of Knox Avenue during the night of Dec. 17 or early morning of Dec. 18 and stole five bottles of alcohol and several wrapped gifts valued at more than $800.
• Someone stole four gift card and a bag with an iPhone inside after a Ford SUV was left unlocked in the 600 block of Maple Avenue on the night of Dec. 25. A burglar also entered an unlocked Volvo in the same block, but nothing was reported stolen.
• Someone stole cash and sunglasses from inside an unlocked Toyota SUV parked in the 1400 block of Ashland Lane on Jan. 12.
• On the morning of Jan. 21, a resident in the 400 block of Linden Avenue reported that their Honda SUV have been burglarized. Someone stole a credit card from inside that was later used at two different local stores.
• Someone smashed a window to a Kia in the 400 block of 5th Street but did not steal anything from inside during the night of Jan. 20 or the early morning of Jan. 21.
• Someone rummaged through an unlocked Mercedes in the 500 block of Leamington Avenue prior to the afternoon of Jan. 22.
• Someone stole a wallet from inside an unlocked Infiniti in the 3500 block of Forest Avenue prior to 8 p.m. on Jan. 22.

ARRESTS

A 23-year-old Evanston man was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and cited for failure to reduce sped and improper lane usage in connection with a Dec. 1 incident. Evanston police encountered him driving a heavily damaged Toyota SUV near the intersection of Sheridan Road and Central Street and reported that he told them he hit something in Wilmette but he did not know where or when. Police found a scene with a damaged light pole and landscaping, and the man turned himself in to Wilmette police on Dec. 4.

A 62-year-old Wilmette man was arrested in the 2700 block of Lake Avenue around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol and cited for improper lane usage.

Avshalom Chayim, 49, of the 5600 block of Court Leona, Hanover Park, was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a credit card, unlawful use of a credit card and theft after police were called to the 3900 block of Fairview Drive around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 for a report of someone trying to break into cars. Officers reported they found a matching car and driver in a parking lot near the 3600 block of Lake Avenue and discovered he had stolen items in his car from burglaries or thefts in other jurisdictions in the area.

A 51-year-old Skokie man was arrested around 11 p.m. on Dec. 18 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater after an officer investigating a traffic crash smelled alcohol on his breath. Police reported the man, who was also ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, admitted drinking before driving and failed field sobriety tests.

A 57-year-old Wilmette woman was arrested around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 20 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater after police spotted her run a red light on Lake Avenue at Locust Road. She was also ticketed for disregarding a stop light and improper lane usage.

William C. Wathen, 62, of the first block of Aspen Colony, Fox Lake, was arrested around 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 28 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a license revoked due to previous DUIs, driving with a suspended registration, no insurance and with an open container of alcohol. He was also cited for improper lane usage.

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KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS

HOME BURGLARY
At some point between Jan. 7 and Jan. 10, someone smashed out the rear door of an unoccupied home in the 300 block of Sheridan Road and got inside. Purses and jewelry were reported stolen from inside.