Over $100,000 Stolen From Bank Account; Banned Man Returns: 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

HOME BURGLARY
Someone broke into a home in the 400 block of Wilshire Drive East between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on March 21 through a basement window. It was not known what, if anything, was stolen at the time of the report.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
Someone caused $4,000 in damage to a car parked in the lot ofPlaza Del Lago, 1515 Sheridan Road, on or before Feb. 29, by putting sugar and water into its gas tank.

STOLEN, BURNT PROPERTY
Someone took two wooden benches from outside a home in the 1000 block of Michigan Avenue, took them to the nearby beach and then used them as firewood at some point between Feb. 29 and March 2.

SCAMS

• An 11th Street resident was scammed by a fake email that directed them to buy $1,800 in gift cards and send someone the codes. The resident gave up their money before realizing it was a scam.
• A Ridge Road resident reported that they had called a fake customer support number after getting locked out of a social media account. The resident then paid a scammer more than $3,800 before realizing they had called the wrong number and been scammed.
• A Sheridan Road resident reported someone stole $2,000 from their bank account after they provided their personal identifying information to a scammer after calling a fake number for some kind of customer support.

FRAUD

• Someone made unauthorized charges on a card belonging to a Ashland Avenue resident at a store in Oak Brook on Feb. 20.
• Someone made an unauthorized purchase of $128 on an online grocery account belonging to an Illinois Road resident on or before March 3.
• A Cranston Court resident reported on March 6 that someone had used their airline miles without authorization to rent a car in Memphis, Tennessee.
• An Ashland Avenue resident reported on March 17 that they received a package they had never ordered linked to a different email address. The resident also found two unauthorized credit card transactions.
• Someone used a bad check to pay an approximately $37 bill at the Mobil gas station, 1837 Wilmette Ave., on March 18.
• Someone intercepted a $2,500 check that had been mailed from a Forest Avenue resident to an address in Connecticut, changed its payee and then cashed it.

SHOPLIFTING

• Someone stole three bottles of champagne and two bottles of wine for a combined value of $215 from the CVS at 1515 Sheridan Road on Feb. 23.
• Someone stole $90 worth of food and drink from the Walgreens, 811 Green Bay Road, on March 4.
• Someone stole $1,000 worth of liquor from the Walgreens at 3232 Lake Ave. on March 12.
• Someone stole 23 bottles of alcohol valued at $760 from the Jewel-Osco, 1517 Sheridan Road, on or before April 4.

PACKAGE THEFTS

• Someone stole the contents of a package, valued at $350, that was delivered to the 300 block of Laurel Avenue on March 19.
• A resident in the 3500 block of Lake Avenue reported on March 26 that someone had opened a package delivered to their home and removed its contents for an unspecified loss.

PURSE THEFTS

• A shopper at the Jewel-Osco, 411 Green Bay Road reported that someone stole their wallet from inside their purse between noon and 12:30 p.m. on March 24. Stolen credit cards were later used at several other stores.
• Someone took a purse from the Baha'i temple at 100 Linden Ave. after it was placed down on the ground and stole lipstick, earbuds and cash valued at about $300 from inside before leaving it a bathroom.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• A representative of a business in the 1200 block of Wilmette Avenue reported on Feb. 21 that someone had illegally withdrawn more than $100,000 from their account.
• A Dupree Place resident reported on March 5 that someone had opened up an unauthorized cell phone account in their
• Someone stole tax return documents from inside of an envelope delivered to a home in the 3800 block of Lake Avenue on or before March 12.
• A Chestnut Avenue resident reported on March 12 that they discovered someone had used their identity to open a credit card account when they got a card in the mail for which they had never applied.
• A Seneca Road resident reported on March 19 that someone using a Bedford Park address had opened up a debit card using their identity.
• A Wilmette Avenue resident reported on March 31 that someone had used their identity in failed attempts to open an unauthorized cell phone account and file a false income tax return.
• Someone used an Elmwood Avenue resident's identity to open up an unauthorized cell phone account and accrue nearly $1,200 worth of charges.

STOLEN BIKES

• Someone stole an unlocked Trek bicycle from the 1200 block of Green Bay Road on Feb. 27.
• Someone stole an unlocked Giant bicycle from the 500 block of Hunter Road on Feb. 27.
• Someone stole an unlocked Giant bicycle from the 500 block of Hunter Road on March 7.
• An unlocked bicycle was stolen from the 1200 block of Green Bay Road on or before March 24.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone burglarized a work van parked in the 1100 block of Wilmette Avenue on Feb. 21, but nothing was reported stolen from inside.
• An unlocked Honda parked in the 2200 block of Greenwood Avenue was burglarized on Feb. 23 but nothing was stolen.
• On March 1, the owner of a Ford van reported that someone had punched out a door lock and broken into it while it was parked in the 700 block of 12th Street.
• Someone smashed a window of a Honda parked in the 2300 block of Old Glenview Road on March 1 and stole a purse from inside. The stolen purse contained cards, cash, checks and a laptop, police were told.
• Someone got into an unlocked Chevy in the 200 block of 10th Street during the overnight hours between March 24 and March 25, but nothing was reported stolen from within.
• Someone burglarized an unlocked Toyota parked in the 800 block of Gregory Avenue during the night of March 24 or morning of March 25, but nothing was reported stolen.

ARRESTS

Jonte Mellanson, 24, of the 4000 block of Brigadoon Drive, Zion, was arrested around 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 following a traffic stop for having an illegally tinted window and failing to don a seat belt and was found to be intoxicated. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, unlawful possession of cannabis and cited for illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol, a tinted front windshield and no seat belt.

Rashawn K. Turner, 28, of the 6900 block of South California Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 10 p.m. on Feb. 27 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop on a BMW in the 2400 block of Glenview Road. Police also issued him citations for improper lane usage and speeding.

Jose Rodriguez Hernandez, 33, of the 8600 block of Avers Avenue, Skokie, was arrested around 2 a.m. on Feb. 28 in the 2200 block of Wilmette Avenue and charged with with driving under the influence of alcohol and cited for running a red light and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol.

Zaim Comor, 57, of the 3900 block of West Estes Avenue, Lincolnwood, was arrested around 2:30 a.m. on March 2 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop in the 3600 block of Lake Avenue. He was also ticketed for improper lane usage.

Brett Amick, 37, of the 1100 block of Greenwood Avenue, Wilmette, was arrested around 6:15 p.m. on March 4 following his involvement in a traffic crash in the 1100 block of Lake Avenue. He was 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.

Joseph Sommers, 29, of the 900 block of Leamington Avenue, Glenview, was arrested around March 8 and charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct after he returned to the Jimmy John's, 3520 Lake Ave., from which he had been previously banned and refused to leave after causing some kind of disturbance. Sommers was arrested again after returning to the same sandwich shop on March 14 and charged with another count of criminal trespass.

Adnan Ebanks, 36, of the 2600 block of West Fitch Avenue, Chicago, was arrested on additional felony fraud offenses of use of a counterfeited credit card, altering a credit card and illegally transporting cannabis in connection with a Dec. 24 encounter with Wilmette police in the 800 block of Green Bay Road. Police said they found cannabis, codeine, other drugs, a credit card reader and ledgers containing numerous credit card number in his car following its involvement in a traffic crash.

A 38-year-old Wilmette man was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly knocked on the door of someone else's apartment in the 500 block of 5th Street. Officers reported the man, who also lives on the block, was intoxicated and belligerent.

Zimmerman Flowers, 23, of the 15900 block of Halsted Street, Harvey, was arrested around 10:30 p.m. on March 24 and charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle after police were called to the 200 block of Woodbine Avenue for a report of a burglary in progress and a witness identified him as the burglar.

Jennifer Grochowski, 42, of the 6400 block of North Oxford Avenue, Chicago, was arrested following a traffic crash around 3 p.m. on March 27 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and expired registration. Officers also issued her citations for improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and illegal transportation of open containers of alcohol.

Kevin J. Bergeron, 46, of the 2000 block of Big Oak Lane, Northbrook, was arrested around 9 p.m. on April 5 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 following a traffic stop near Prairie and Park avenues. He was also ticketed for disregarding a stop sign.

Neil R. Kitchie, 63, of the 800 block of Greenwood Avenue was arrested around 9:45 p.m. on April 7 and charged with being in physical control of a car while intoxicated and cited for illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol after police were called to a parking lot in the 1100 block of Wilmette Avenue to check out a motorist slumped over in the driver's seat of an Audi with its engine running.

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KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS/ARRESTS

Village police did not reported any arrests or incidents between Feb. 16 to April 12.

Read more: Burglars Escape; DUI Drivers Crash; Bike Thief Charged: Wilmette Police Blotter