ComEd Imposter Scam, Car Burglaries: Darien Police

DARIEN, IL — Darien police have released their latest blotter, which includes reports of men posing as ComEd workers and two cars being burglarized. Here is information from the police reports:

• A suspect wearing a a safety vest knocked on the door of a house in the 500 block of 69th Street on Jan. 15 and identified himself as a ComEd worker. The suspect said he needed to check light switches in the house. The victim saw a second person in the hallway of the house minutes later, but was distracted by the first suspect. Jewelry estimated at $4,000 in value was stolen. According to ComEd, its workers may knock on a customer's door if they are unable to access equipment such as the meter or pedestal transformer. If customers are unsure whether a visitor is a ComEd employee, they are asked to call 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1) before engaging with the person. All field employees wear uniforms with ComEd logos, including shirts and safety vests. They display their company ID badges with the logos and names. They drive white ComEd cars or trucks with the company's logo.
• Marco Risper, 33, of Chicago, was arrested about 9 p.m. Jan. 16 near 75th Street and Clarendon Hills Road on DuPage County warrants for failure to appear in court and obstruction of identity. Risper was taken to the DuPage County Jail. He was stopped when he changed lanes without signaling.
• Two men shoplifted two four-packs of Red Bull from the Circle K Shell, 8975 Lemont Road, at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16. The loss was estimated at $18.
• Irineo Vargas, 29, of Woodridge, was arrested shortly before 8 p.m. Jan. 18 at North Frontage Road and Woodland Drive on a warrant for failure to appear in court in DuPage County. He was unable to post bond and was taken to the DuPage County Jail. Police approached him after they received a call about a white truck that was not running along the shoulder of the road. When they woke up Vargas in the car, they told him he was in a no-parking zone.
• A customer at Citgo, 402 Plainfield Road, stopped to buy items in the store about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 20, leaving behind a backpack in his unlocked car. A review of video shows a man removing an item from the car. The loss is estimated at $250.
• A car in the 8300 block of Parkview Drive was burglarized between 9 p.m. Jan. 14 and 11 a.m. Jan. 15. A report was made Jan. 21. Someone removed numerous items and $450 from the car, which was parked in the driveway.

Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.