Patron loses packed backpack
A River Forest resident told police that on Oct. 11, between 8 and 10:30 p.m. in the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue, an offender stole her backpack, which contained two tape recorders, headphones, an iPod, an iPad case, a portable hotspot, two check books, credit and gift cards as well as cash, for a total reported loss of $2,890.
Felony sex abuse of child
On Oct. 9, the county state’s attorney approved felony charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against John Hays, 57, of Chicago; the charges followed reports to River Forest police that a child may have been sexually abused at a River Forest residence in 2013.
Armed robbery
A man in the 7900 block of Lake Street told police he was struck with some object, then robbed by two assailants around 1:30 a.m., Sept. 30. The robbers stole the victim’s iPhone, earbuds and messenger bag, then fled southbound through Keystone Park.
Aggravated battery
A Westchester resident was arrested Oct. 8 in the 1100 block of Waller, Chicago, for an aggravated battery that occurred in the 400 block of North Harlem Avenue on Aug. 17; Ashton Smith, 28, was charged with the offense and held for bond hearings.
At Harlem Avenue and Lake Street, a man said another man on a Pace bus hit him in the face and ran away just before 5 p.m. on Oct. 2.
Burglary
A burglar broke a window to get inside a Buick parked in the 100 block of North Cuyler, Oct. 7 around 8 p.m., and stole a backpack and sunglasses.
On Oct. 9 between 6:30 and 9:15 a.m., someone forced open the side door to a garage in the 200 block of North Lombard, then stole the $1,750 bicycle stored inside.
In the 200 block of North Ridgeland Avenue, someone pried open the service door of a garage and made off with the $500 bicycle within.
In the 700 block of North Cuyler, overnight Oct. 10-11, a burglar forced the side door to a garage and moved things around, though nothing seemed to have been removed.
The same night, the unlocked service door to a garage in the 300 block of South Oak Park Avenue enabled someone to steal a bike, ransack a car and grab some coins.
Theft/burglary arrests
Police arrested two male juveniles, one from Chicago, the other from Oak Park, and charged them with residential burglary and marijuana possession at 4:26 p.m. Oct. 7. Also charged with two counts of theft was 18-year-old Sequyah M. Woods of the 1300 block of South 58th in Cicero. The thefts/burglaries took place in the 600 block of Gunderson and the 5700 block of Madison Street.
Two male Chicago juveniles were arrested in the 200 block of North Linden the evening of Oct. 7 and charged with theft.
Theft
An older blue Volvo, reported stolen on Oct. 8 from the 100 block of North East Avenue, was recovered the following day in the 5900 block of Lake Street; when found, it was un-drivable.
In the 1000 block of North Boulevard, someone stole the tires from a mountain bike locked to a bike rack during the night of Oct. 8-9.
The next night, in the 1100 block of South Kenilworth, someone cut the lock securing a $400 Schwinn and stole the bike.
A Buick LaCrosse, reported stolen from Hertz Rental Car on Sept. 18, was found in DuPage County by state police.
A locked 2003 Dodge was stolen from the 100 block of Lake Street, the evening of Oct. 11.
A wallet, containing ID and credit cards and left unattended at the Shell station in the 400 block of North Harlem Avenue, was reported stolen, Oct. 12, midday.
Safe cracked
A locked safe inside an unoccupied office in the West Suburban Hospital cafeteria was opened and deprived of $1,178, during the period from 2 p.m., Oct. 9 to 6 a.m., Oct. 11.
Divested, wearing vest
At 6:28 a.m., Oct. 3, police came to the Lake Street Jewel-Osco in River Forest, where workers said a man went into the liquor section with an empty bag, emerged with a full one, threatened a store employee, and fled. The thief was wearing a yellow safety vest.
Road rage
Police arrested a Melrose Park man after a road-rage incident near Harlem and Chicago avenues at 8:10 p.m., Oct. 3. The victim stated the offender threatened him with a bat. The offender was charged with assault as well as several traffic violations.
DUI arrests
On Oct. 4 around 12:40 a.m. in the 7400 block of North Avenue, police stopped a vehicle seen committing several traffic violations. The driver, who reportedly exhibited signs of intoxication and had a revoked driver’s license, refused field sobriety tests as well as the Breathalyzer. Franklin C. Bartlett, 43, of Addison, was charged with felony DUI and felony driving on a revoked license.
In the 7700 block of Madison, police conducted a traffic stop at 3:15 a.m., Oct. 7. The driver, a 40-year-old man from Chicago, failed the field sobriety test and had a blood-alcohol level of .181, more than double the legal limit. He was charged with DUI as well as multiple traffic violations.
Vandalism
The windshield of a Chevy, parked in the rear of the 200 block of Lake Street, was found smashed; it happened overnight, Oct. 9-10.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports filed Oct. 6-12 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
— Compiled by Amy Malina
