Distracted Elmhurst Shopper Victim Of Wallet Theft: Cops

ELMHURST, IL – In the last few days, Elmhurst police handled cases involving a wallet theft, a laundry larceny, a stolen car, retail theft, dog-caused damage, a stolen bicycle and a crypto scam, among other offenses. Here is information from the latest Elmhurst police reports:

Wallet theft

• A shopper noticed four women about 11 a.m. Tuesday in the produce section at Whole Foods, 215 S. Route 83. One of the women approached the shopper and spoke with her while she was shopping. The shopper later realized her wallet was missing from her purse while she was going to pay for her groceries. The suspect then used the shopper's credit cards to make several fraudulent transactions. An investigation is pending.

Laundry larceny

• A woman told police that three people stole clothing that was drying late Monday night at 24/7 Laundromat, 954 N. York St. The first suspect was described as a Hispanic man with short black hair, in his 30s, and wearing a dark gray hooded sweatshirt. The second was a Hispanic boy with short black hair and wearing a dark gray hooded sweatshirt. The third was a Hispanic woman in her 30s with long black hair.

Dog damage

• A man was in his car about 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the UPS Store, 205 E. Butterfield Road, when a dog attached to a stroller ran in front of his car, causing the stroller to hit the car. That resulted in damage to the car's grill. The incident was reported a week later.

Stolen car

• A 2004 Toyota Camry was stolen about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Elmhurst Hospital, 177 E. Brush Hill Road.

Retail theft

• Cristian E. Garcia-Benitez, 25, of Chicago, was arrested about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kohl's, 303 S. Route 83, on charges of retail theft and burglary. Police said Garcia-Benitez stole multiple fragrance bottles totaling $419 in value. He was released.
• Two men distracted a cashier at Whole Foods, 215 S. Route 83, while she was ringing up two gift cards and several clothing items. The suspects paid for the clothing but left without paying for the gift cards. The theft occurred about 1:30 p.m. Monday. The men were described as white, 30 to 40 years old, and wearing black baseball caps, black T-shirts with white lettering and black pants. One man was wearing a long puffy black jacket and white shoes, while the other had on a black jacket and black shoes. An investigation is pending.

Stolen bicycle

• A Wallke electric bicycle was stolen between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday from a backyard in the 700 block of Junior Terrace.

Crypto scam

• A resident in the 100 block of South Chandler Avenue told police Tuesday that someone he believed was helping him with technological issues stole cryptocurrency. He reported the incident a week later. An investigation is pending.

Suspicious

• A resident in the 300 block of Huntington Lane told a repair shop last weekend that her car had malfunctioned. She was told the problem may have resulted from someone trying to steal her car. The woman said nothing was missing and that there was no outside damage to her car. An investigation is pending.

Damage

• Two people argued shortly before midnight Tuesday at Clarion Inn, 933 S. Riverside Drive. A victim told police that his car and PlayStation were damaged by a suspect. The victim refused to provide more information or sign a complaint.

Domestic disturbance

• Officers responded to a domestic disturbance about 11 p.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of Ida Lane. A man said he and another man were arguing, but no one suffered injuries. The two agreed to separate for the night.

DUI

• A 57-year-old Westmont woman was arrested about 5 a.m. Monday at Highland and North avenues on charges of DUI, parking in the roadway and illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver. Police said they found the woman slumped over behind the wheel. She was released.

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 people charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.