Sex Offender At Football Game; Man In Van Accosts 12-Year-Old: Blotter

WILMETTE, IL — The following information comes from the Wilmette Police Department 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.

INCIDENTS

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT
Someone stole catalytic converters from five vehicles parked in a fenced-in yard at Chicago Storage North, 3510 Wilmette Ave., on Aug. 10 or Aug. 11.

PAYMENT DISPUTE
A 5th Street resident reported that a friend had failed to pay back money that they had been loaned late last year.

STOLEN LAPTOP
On Aug. 31, a resident in the 1500 block of Sheridan Road reported that a new MacBook Pro had gone missing from their apartment.

CHECK FRAUD
A Laurel Avenue resident reported that a mortgage check that had been mailed in July was never received and instead had been deposited in an unknown account after being dropped off in a mailbox at the corner of 7th Street and Linden Avenue.

STOLEN CAR FLEES
Around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 15, police noticed a VW Jetta parked on the street whose driver was wearing a ski mask. The officer checked the car's registration and learned it had been stolen from the 2700 block of McDaniel Avenue in Evanston. The driver fled and was pursued by Wilmette police until it crashed into a curb at Green Bay Road and Foster Street in Evanston. The driver took off running and escaped apprehension.

SIGN THEFT
On Sept. 9, an officer noticed that the Chestnut Street sign at the corner of 21st and Chestnut streets was missing.

STOLEN TRAFFIC DEVICE
A Wilmette public works employee reported on Sept. 23 that a traffic monitoring device placed in the 800 block of Lavergne Avenue on Sept. 19 had been stolen by Sept. 23. The device is valued at $2,500.

PICKPOCKETING
Officers were dispatched to the Jewel-Osco, 411 Green Bay Road, at some point on Aug. 18 for a report of a pick-pocketing that had just occurred. A woman told police that someone had told her that a couple had just stolen her wallet. After she ran after the couple in the parking lot, the woman, described as short and heavyset, threw her wallet on the ground, got into a black Audi A8 and fled the area. The male suspect was described as tall, thin and bald.

RUSE HOME BURGLARY
A resident in the 2300 block of Old Glenview Road reported that three people — a man, a woman and a male teen — had talked their way into the home by claiming they were tree-trimming. While they were inside, an elderly resident noticed one of them go inside a bedroom, and a live-in caretaker reported that $100 worth of jewelry was missing after the burglary.

HOME BURGLARIES

• A resident in the 3500 block of Elmwood Avenue reported that someone had broken into their home and ransacked several rooms. Burglars make off with about $400 worth of jewelry, police were told.
• At least $5,000 worth of jewelry was reported stolen after someone got into a house in the 1100 block of Michigan Avenue through an unlocked door and ransacked several rooms inside.
• Between 5:45 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 29, someone broke into a home in the 400 block of Wilshire Drive through a rear sliding door and ransacked several rooms, stealing cash and jewelry from inside.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES

• A representative of Central Station Coffee and Tea in the Metra station at 722 Green Bay Road reported that someone had forced their way into a kiosk between Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 but had not stolen anything.
• Someone broke into Hong Kong Auto, 3500 Lake Ave., by defeating the front door lock between 8 and 9 a.m. on Aug. 28 and stole tools from inside.

SCAMS

• A Sheridan Road resident reported they had been scammed by someone claiming to be a representative of iTunes tech support on Aug. 25. The scammer convinced the resident to deposit about $4,000 from their bank into a Bitcoin ATM. Then, the scammer tried to get the resident to load a pair of Apple gift cards for a combined $1,000. The resident provided the scammer with images of their driver's license and provided access to their phone, but an alert CVS employee was able to let the resident know they were being scammed.
• A Cherokee Road resident reported on Sept. 9 that he replied to scam text messages describing suspicious transactions with their bank account. The resident was scammed into putting $14,500 into a "special account" in three deposits before realizing it was a scam.
• A Greenleaf Avenue resident reported that someone claiming to be a representative of Comcast had scammed them into buying $800 worth of Target gift cards on Sept. 10.
• A Lake Avenue resident reported on Sept. 28 that someone claiming to be a representative of a cable company had convinced him to provide $1,000 worth of gift cards in exchange for a discount. The resident provided the scammer with $550 before realizing the fraud.

STOLEN CARS

• Someone stole an unlocked gray Honda minivan that was parked in the 100 block of Hibbard Road between 1 and 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 14. The car was later recovered in the 7200 block of South Cornell Avenue in Chicago.
• A rented black Audi that had been left unlocked while parked no the street in the 1500 block of Washington Avenue between 10:30 p.m. Aug. 13 and 8:30 a.m. Aug. 14 was reported stolen. On the evening of Aug. 25, a representative of the Chicago Police Department reported that it had been found at 445 N. State St. and the car was towed back to Wilmette for processing.
• Someone stole a gray Volkswagen SUV from the 100 block of Hibbard Road on Aug. 23 or Aug. 24 after it was left unlocked with a key fob inside. The car was later found by Wilmette police detectives and the Chicago Police Department on Aug. 30 in the 600 block of North Lorel Avenue.
• Someone stole a gray Dodge Durango that had been left unlocked in the 1900 block of Thornwood avenue until about 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 21. The car was later found in the 7100 block of South Vincennes Avenue in Chicago and towed back to Wilmette.

BIKE THEFTS

• Someone stole a black Haro brand bicycle valued at $300 from the 800 block of Linden Avenue.
• A black Reid commuter bike valued at $800 was reported stolen from the Metra station, 722 Green Bay Road, between 6:40 and 7:30 p.m.
• Someone stole a seat from a bicycle parked at the rack at the Metra station, 722 Green Bay Road, between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Sept. 20.

SHOPLIFTING

• Staff at Fresh Farms, 3232 Lake Ave., reported that a 6-foot-tall man wearing a ski mask and dressed entirely in black stole numerous bottles of alcohol around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 before leaving in a white car.
• Four unidentified girls stole a package of hair dye valued at $12 from the Walgreens, 3232 Lake Ave., on Aug. 19.

THEFT OF LOST/UNATTENDED ITEMS

• A visitor at Centennial Pool, 2300 Old Glenview Road, reported that someone had taken his wallet after it was left unattended between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 5.
• Someone tool a wallet from an unlocked storage box at Gillson Beach, 700 Michigan Ave., between 12:30 and 4:40 p.m. on Aug. 18.
• On Aug. 28 or Aug. 29, someone stole a tree in a wood planter from a yard in the 1000 block of Manor Drive.
• A tenant in the 300 block of Linden Avenue reported on Aug. 30 that someone had taken keys that had been left in the lock of an apartment door.
• Someone stole a key fob, cell phone and water bottles that had been left at Gillson Park around 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 1.
• A resident in the 200 block of Ridge Road reported on Sept. 23 that they could not find a wallet that belonged to their dead mother.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• Someone damaged a desk at the car gate shack and a lifeguard chair at the fence line between the swimming and south beach areas at Gillson Beach, 700 Michigan Ave., on or before Aug. 17.
• CTA staff reported on Sept. 14 that someone had painted graffiti on one of their train cars at the 349 Linden Ave. yards.
• Someone damaged a Ford Explorer parked in a lot in the 500 block of Green Bay Road on or before Sept. 12.
• On Sept. 17, a representative of St. Francis School, 808 Linden Ave., reported that someone damaged tiles on an outdoor basketball court, causing between $5,000 and $7,000 in damage.
• A village-owned lamp post was spray-painted white prior to 2 p.m. on Sept. 27.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone stole a wallet from an unlocked car parked in the 900 block of Central Avenue between Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, taking a firearm owners identification card, credit cards and about $80 in cash.
• On Aug. 4 or Aug. 5, someone stole a pair of sunglasses from an unlocked car in the 500 block of Maple Avenue.
• Someone smashed out a rear window of a blue Mercedes parked at Wilmette Golf Course, 3900 Fairway Drive, between 1 and 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 17, stealing cash, a Bluetooth speaker, a pocketknife and medication.
• A black Audi S5 parked in the 1500 block of Elmwood Avenue was burglarized on or before Aug. 16. Nothing was reported stolen.
• Someone stole change from inside an unlocked black Volvo while it was parked in the 100 block of 6th Street between Aug. 15 and Aug. 16.
• A black Nissan was burglarized on Aug. 15 or Aug. 16 after it was left unlocked in the 100 block of 6th Street.
• Someone burglarized an unlocked Acura parked in the 2700 block of Birchwood Avenue between Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, stealing gift cards and a GPS unit from inside.
• A gray Subaru left unlocked in the 1100 block of Forest Avenue was burglarized at some point prior to 3 a.m. Aug. 14.
• Burglars ransacked an unlocked Subaru station wagon at some point on Aug. 13 or Aug. 14. Nothing was reported stolen.
• Someone stole change from an unlocked Toyota SUV parked in the 800 block of Romona Road.
• A resident in the 400 block of Brookside Drive reported that someone stole a USB card from inside a Honda minivan that had been left unlocked prior to 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 14.
• Someone stole change from an unlocked Mazda parked in the 1200 block of Greenwood Avenue on Aug. 31.
• An unlocked Honda SUV was burglarized during the night of Aug. 30 or morning of Aug. 31 in the 1100 block of Greenwood Avenue.
• A resident in the 2600 block of Wilmette Avenue reported someone opened the door of their unlocked car around 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 15. Three of the resident's credit cards had also been found in a stolen car.
• An unlocked Honda was burglarized through prior to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 15, but nothing was reported missing.
• Someone rummaged through an unlocked Mercedes in the 3500 block of Illinois Road prior to 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 16.
• At some point prior to 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 16, someone rummaged through an unlocked Toyota in the 1000 block of Manor Drive.
• On Sept. 16, a resident in the 3500 block of Elmwood Drive reported that two unidentified burglars had stolen a wallet from an unlocked Toyota pickup.
• An officer discovered a Toyota Prius had been burglarized prior to 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 21 in the 100 block of Central Park Avenue.
• A resident in the 1900 block of Thornwood Avenue reported that someone had gotten into their unlocked Jeep but did not steal anything.
• Someone burglarized a black Audi parked in the 100 block of Central Park Avenue prior to 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 21.
• A resident in the 700 block of 9th Street reported on Sept. 24 that someone had rummaged through two of their cars, but nothing was reported stolen.
• An unlocked BMW SUV parked in the 100 block of Laurel Avenue was burglarized on or before Sept. 24.
• Someone stole about $400 in gift cards and a pair of sunglasses form an unlocked Jeep parked in the 100 block of Lauren Avenue on or before Sept. 24.
• An unlocked Toyota SUV was burglarized on or before Sept. 25 in the 800 block of Lavergne Avenue.
• A resident in the 500 block of Washington Street reported on Sept. 25 that someone had burglarized their Ford sedan during the previous night.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Julian Nunez-Villafuerte, 27, of the 10500 block of Ridge Cove, Chicago Ridge, was arrested around 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 6 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 in the 1700 block of Lake Avenue. Police reported pulling him over for a minor traffic violation and finding that he appeared to be intoxicated. Nunez-Villafuerte, who was also issued citations for driving without insurance and running a red light, later provided a breath sample indicating he had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

Bryan E. Merino, 19, of the 500 block of North Oakwood Avenue, Waukegan, was arrested on Aug. 31 and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license following an incident that afternoon near 17th Street and Wilmette Avenue. Officers determined Merino was the driver of a work van that pulled up alongside a 12-year-old girl walking downed the sidewalk, commented on her appearance and asked for her phone number. Police reported that Merino pulled the van near her a second time when she walked away, prompting her to take off running. Merino, who did not exit the van during the incident, was pulled over by police near the 600 block of Melrose Avenue in Kenilworth and also charged with driving without a valid license.

Theodore Whitewing, 41, of the 3400 block of W. Diversey Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 5 a.m. on Aug. 29 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a revoked license and unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver following an encounter with police behind a business in the 3200 block of Lake Ave. Officers reported finding him asleep in the driver's seat with open containers of alcohol in the car. Field sobriety testing indicated Whitewing, who later refused a breath test, was intoxicated. He was also issued a citation for illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver.

Edgar Ortega, 39, of the 2900 block of North Lawndale Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 2 near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Skokie Boulevard and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater and cited him for illegal stopping, Police reported they were initially unable to rouse him after finding him passed out behind the wheel. The officer put the car in gear and turned it off, and Ortega produced a break sample indicating his BAC was more than twice the legal limit.

Mark. C. Davis, 28, of the 2600 block of West Iowa Street, Chicago, was arrested around 3 a.m. on Sept. 2 in the 3700 block of Lake Avenue after an officer pulled him over for driving a Prius with a flat tire. Davis 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 and cited for using an unsafe tire and improper lane usage. He provided a breath sample that indicated he had about one and a half times the legal limit of alcohol on his system.

Andrew H. Oh, 33, of the 800 block of Long Road, Glenview, was arrested around 3 a.m. on Sept. 4 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop near Hibbard Road and Lake Avenue. Officers reported he smelled strongly of alcohol, showed signs of intoxication during field sobriety testing and declined to provide breath sample. Oh was also issued citations for suspended registration and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver.

Kent A. Johnson, 63, of the 1400 block of Sheridan Road, Wilmette, was arrested around 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 and charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol — due to three previous DUI arrests — misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with license and registration revoked and without insurance. A witness called police to report seeing a man, later identified as Johnson, stepping out of a white Volvo with a can of beer in his hand before getting another beer from the trunk, getting back in his car and driving away. When police pulled him over for a traffic violation near Lake Avenue and 16th Street, they found he smelled strongly of alcohol and took him into custody. Johnson, who was also issued citations for improper lane usage and illegal transportation of alcohol, declined to provide a breath sample.

Brian W. Burns, 44, of the 9000 block of Bronx Avenue, Skokie, was charged with a violation the sex offender registration requirements on Sept. 9 after police determined he had attended the Aug. 28 football game at his alma mater Loyola Academy, 1100 Laramie Ave., despite being a registered sex offender.

Hobart B. Kincaid, 59, of the 1000 block of West Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 and charged with public indecency after police were told he was spotted masturbating at Veterans Park, 1111 Central Ave., with his pants around his ankles.

Richard A. Ross, 35, of the 8500 block of Georgiana Avenue, Morton Grove, was arrested in connection with a Sept. 20 bicycle theft at an apartment building in the 3500 block of Lake Avenue. Ross, who was spotted on camera stealing the bike, admitted to the theft. Police recovered the bicycle and returned it to its owner.

Jose D. Colin, 21, of the 4400 block of North Bernard Street, Chicago, was arrested around 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 17 and charged with unlawful use of a weapon after officers found him parked improperly in the 3300 block of Lake Avenue. Police reported he was unable to provide proof of insurance or a driver's license and had a pistol visible in his car's center console.

Joseph P. Roznai, 62, of the 900 block of North Pecos Lane, Mount Prospect, was arrested around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 18 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he was pulled over for speeding in the area of 6th and Isabella streets. He provided a sample indicating his breath alcohol concentration was above the legal limit and was also issued a speeding ticket.

Natasha A. Swing, 60, of the 300 block of 14th Street, Wilmette, was arrested around 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 26 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after officers dispatched to a report of an intoxicated woman found her in control of a Jeep SUV.

Earlier: Woman, 3 Teens Arrested, Gun Found During Car Burglary Probe; Batavia Resident Charge After Dispute With Jewel Staff; Cops Find Cocaine On Northbrook Man: New Trier Township Police Blotters, July 13 to Aug. 2

Stay Patched In!

• Like the Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch on Facebook
• Make a Neighbor Post on the Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch
• Check out the Events Calendar for what’s going on around Wilmette and Kenilworth
• Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Wilmette news
• Patch Mobile: Get the app for iPhone and Android