Microsoft, Sheriff Scams; Hammer-Wielding Burglar; Break-Ins: Blotters

NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP, IL — The following information comes from the Glencoe, Kenilworth, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka 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.

GLENCOE

INCIDENTS

SHOPLIFTING
Around 4 p.m. on March 2, several children ate about $37 worth of food items from the Grand Foods, 341 Hazel Ave., before returning them to the shelves and leaving. Police verbally warned the minors they have been banned from the store and could be charged with trespassing should they return.

ELECTRONIC HARASSMENT
A Dundee Road resident reported on March 14 that a former high school classmate had harassed them via the Snapchat social media app.

AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER FALSE ALARM
Around 1:45 p.m. on March 18, Glencoe police received an alert that a stolen vehicle was in town, and an officer pulled it over near Green Bay Road and Lincoln Avenue. The car was being driven by its registered owner, who was not breaking any laws. Police told the motorist they needed to contact the Chicago Police Department if they did not want their car to continue being listed as stolen when it was not.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES

• Someone broke into the Foodstuffs, 338 Park Ave., shortly after midnight on March 17, smashing glass and stealing the trays to cash registers.
• Shortly after midnight on the morning of March 17, police reviewed footage from village security cameras in the wake of multiple burglaries in the 300 block of Park Avenue. The video showed someone smash the entrance of a building and go inside. Other businesses burglarized at the time include OK Cleaners, 651 Vernon Ave., and Wayne's Cleaners, 340 Park Avenue. According to police, a burglary used a hammer to break the glass entry doors at the businesses and left in a silver Mercedes SLK.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• An Oak Drive resident reported on March 1 that they had gotten a letter from the Small Business Administration notifying them that a payment on a loan that they had never taken was overdue.
• A Crescent Drive resident reported on March 7 that they received a letter purporting to have come from Kemper Insurance asking for several identifying documents in connection with an unclaimed insurance claim of $999, but the insurance company said they never sent such a letter.

WINNETKA

INCIDENTS

CHECK FRAUD
Someone intercepted a check from the mail, altered it and cashed it for a loss of an unspecified amount greater than $5,000 to a Plum Tree Lane resident at some point prior to Feb. 21.

HOME BURGLARIES

• Around 6:30 p.m. on March 11, someone broke into a home in the 900 block of Vine Street and stole jewelry, cash and various documents for an unspecified loss greater than $5,000.
• Someone broke into a home in the first block of Indian Hill Road and stole jewelry and handbags from inside for an unspecified loss greater than $5,000.

SCAMS

• An Edgewood Lane resident reported on March 5 that they had been scammed out of $3,000 by people claiming to be Microsoft representatives who convinced the resident to purchase gift cards and send their numbers.
• A Cherry Street resident reported on March 6 that they had been scammed out of $1,000 after someone claiming to be affiliated with the Cook County Sheriff's Office convinced the resident to buy gift cards and provide their numbers to the scammer.
• On March 14, someone claiming to be an employer convinced an Ash Street resident to make transactions using their personal checking account and reimbursed hem with bad checks for an unspecified loss of more than $5,000.
• A Winnetka Avenue resident was scammed by a purported Amazon employee into depositing an unspecified amount greater than $5,000 into a Bitcoin account on March 18.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• An Asbury Avenue resident reported that someone used their identity at some point on March 5 or March 6 to make unauthorized purchases using their credit card, as well as trying to use the resident's airline points, for a total loss of more than $630.
• On March 14, an Elder Lane resident reported that someone had intercepted a check on Jan. 19 and cashed it fraudulently for a loss of nearly $2,300.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Samuel E. McLaughlin, 37, of the 600 block of Hinman Avenue, Evanston, was arrested around 9:15 a.m. March 15 at the Winnetka Police Department and charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer following a citizen assist call to the department.

NORTHFIELD

INCIDENTS

SCAM
A Mount Pleasant Street resident reported a scammer purporting to be a representative of Microsoft had tried to get them to buy gift cards after calling a number that appeared on a computer pop-up window prior to 4:30 p.m. March 3.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
Someone "keyed" a car parked outside a home in the 1700 block of Winnetka Road between 3 and 6:30 p.m. on March 19.

HOME BURGLARIES

• Someone broke into a home in the 600 block of Sunset Ridge by forcing open the front door at some point prior to 4 p.m. on March 2. Various closets and drawers inside were ransacked, but nothing was reported missing.
• Between 12:45 and 2:45 p.m. on March 2, someone broke into a home in the 400 block of Valley Way through the back door. Numerous drawers and closets were found ransacked, and valuables, including coats, silverware, coins and cameras were reported stolen.

CHECK FRAUD

• A Lockwood Avenue resident reported on the afternoon of March 17 that checks they had mailed via the Postal Service had been intercepted, altered and cashed fraudulently for an unspecified loss.
• A Northbrook resident reported on March 18 that several checks they had sent from a mailbox at the Northfield Post Office, 1787 Orchard Lane, had never reached their destination. Instead, they had been intercepted, altered and cashed without authorization.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Charles J. Holland, 51, of the 600 block of Leamington Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 12:45 a.m. on Feb. 27 after crashing into a stop sign and electrical lighting control box in the 400 block of Central Avenue. He was charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanor DUI and various other traffic and location ordinance violations.
Read more: Dad Driving Drunk Injures Child During Northfield Crash, Police Say

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KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS/ARRESTS

The Kenilworth Police Department has not reported any incidents or arrests since March 2.

WILMETTE

INCIDENTS

IDENTITY THEFT ATTEMPT
A Lake Avenue resident reported on Feb. 24 that someone repeatedly attempted to make fraudulent transfers out of their bank account.

TRESPASSING
Police were called to a home in the 2600 block of Wilmette Avenue on Feb. 24 for a report that someone was looking for a past acquaintance who used to live there. Police warned the visitor that they could be charged with trespassing if they returned.

STOLEN CAR
A car owner in the 600 block of Washington Avenue reported on Feb. 25 that someone had stolen their 2015 Hyundai Tucson although they still had the all the car's keys.

TELEPHONE HARASSMENT
A Skokie Boulevard resident reported on Feb. 25 that someone had left them rambling and threatening voicemail messages for no apparent reason.

SCAM
Someone gained access to the email account of an 11th Street resident and then sent requests to the resident's contacts asking for gift cards, police were told on March 3.

STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERED
Around 8:15 a.m. on March 6, police found an abandoned Acura SUV that had been stolen the prior night from another town.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD
A resident in the 800 block of Park Avenue reported a fraudulent charge on their credit card on March 9. They later got a package in the mail containing jewelry that they had never ordered.

HOME BURGLARY
Someone pried open a side door to a home in the 1700 block of Elmwood Avenue and burglarized the interior between 6:30 and 7:20 p.m. on March 10, stealing clothing, jewelry and electronics for an unspecified loss.

SHOPLIFTING

• Someone stole more than $336 worth of merchandise from the Walgreens at 3232 Lake Ave. prior to 3 p.m. on Feb. 25. The unidentified person was last seen running east through the parking lot.
• Someone stole nearly $477 worth of groceries and personal hygiene products from the Jewel-Osco at 411 Green Bay Road around 6 p.m. on March 5.

ROAD RAGE

• On March 7, a motorist in the 200 block of Skokie Boulevard told police that another driver had threatened to shoot them while involved in a traffic dispute, although the motorist never brandished a firearm.
• On March 11, a motorist in the 300 block of Skokie Boulevard reported that they had been involved in a traffic dispute with another driver who pointed a gun at them before driving away.

THEFTS

• Someone stole a painting worth $3,000 from the common area of a multi-family residence in the 1400 block of Sheridan Road on or before March 6.
• Someone stole about $1,200 worth of construction equipment, including a concrete saw and accessories, from the 1200 block of Central Avenue during the several weeks prior to March 7.
• A resident in the 300 block of Ridge Road reported on March 8 that someone had stolen a ring worth about $1,150.
• Someone stole an unlocked Mongoose bicycle after it was left at Plaza Del Lago, 1517 Sheridan Road, on or before March 11.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• A Forest Avenue resident reported on Feb. 27 that someone had used their identity to fraudulently obtain loans from the Small Business Administration.
• A 21st Street resident reported on March 6 that someone had used their identity to obtain a small business load.
• A Kenilworth Avenue resident reported on March 14 that someone had used their identity in an unsuccessful attempt to open a line of credit.

CHECK FRAUD

• A resident in the 3800 block of Lake Avenue reported on Feb. 24 that someone had intercepted a check in the mail and deposited it without authorization.
• A resident in the 600 block of Lacrosse Avenue reported on March 9 that someone had cashed two fraudulent checks against their account, causing it to become overdrawn.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• A resident in the 1600 block of Ashland Avenue reported on Feb. 27 that someone damaged a light in their yard.
• A resident in the 1200 block of Wilmette Avenue reported on March 4 that a rock had damaged the mirror of their Audi.
• On March 6, a resident in the 100 block of 15th Street reported that the rear window of their Hyundai had been broken.
• On March 11, a representative of Quality Cleaners, 833 Green Bay Road, reported that someone had stolen several boards from the business's garbage storage shed.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone stole $200 in cash from an unlocked car in the 100 block of Sterling Lane on or before Feb. 24.
• Someone burglarized an unlocked car in the 200 block of Central Park Avenue on or before Feb. 24. Nothing was reported stolen.
• Someone burglarized an unlocked car for the third time in the 400 block of 10th Street on or before March 2. Nothing was reported stolen.
• At 10:40 p.m. on March 5, police were called to a report of a car burglary in progress in the 1300 block of Central Avenue. A caller reported finding someone in their Honda Odyssey. The suspect ran after the resident yelled, nothing was reported stolen and police were unable to find the burglar.
• On March 6, four cars were burglarized between the 2000 and 2200 blocks of Beechwood Avenue. Others was reported burglarized in the 2500 block of Kenilworth and the 1200 block of Princeton Place, through nothing was reported stolen from any of them.
• Someone stole two checkbooks from a possibly unlocked car in the 200 block of Thelin Court on or before March 14.
• Someone rummaged through a possibly unlocked car parked in the 500 block of Ridge Road on or before 16.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

David W. Gage, 35, of the 5900 block of South Justine Street, Chicago, was arrested shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 following a traffic stop in the 3200 block of Lake Avenue. He provided a breath sample indicating his BAC was more than twice the legal limit for intoxication, and officers also issued him citations for improper lane usage and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver.

Barine S. John, 24, of the 7900 block of South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 12:30 a.m. on March 1 and charged with public indecency and delivery of a controlled substance after officers were called to the CTA Purple Line station at 349 Linden Ave. for a report of a man masturbating on a train. Police took John into custody and found he had cocaine and an active bond forfeiture warrant from a separate pending criminal case.

Scott A. Benner, 41, of the 100 block of North Sangamon Street, Chicago, was arrested shortly after 8 p.m. on March 1 after police were called to a report of someone shoplifting liquor from the Jewel-Osco at 411 Green Bay Road. Officers located Benner nearby and took him into custody.

Eric G. Jimenez, 18, of the 200 block of Longwood Terrace, Mundelein, and Erik S. Garcia, 18, of the 400 block of Shady Lane, Mundelein, were arrested around 3 p.m. on March 11 inside an employee bathroom at a business in Edens Plaza, 3232 Lake Avenue, and each charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after police found "ghost guns" tucked into both of their waistbands.
Read more: Teens Armed With 'Ghost Guns' Arrested At Edens Plaza In Wilmette

Earlier: School Threats; Counterfeit Cash; Tech Support Scams: New Trier Township Police Blotters

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