Fired Employee, Dog Attack: Elmhurst Police

ELMHURST, IL – In recent days, Elmhurst police handled cases involving a fired employee, a dog attack, a theft suspect chased by a victim, a scammed store, threatening messages and a Social Security scam, among other incidents. Here is information from the latest Elmhurst police reports:

Fired employee

• Chicago Switchboard, 470 Wrightwood, told police Friday that the company's controller authorized a fraudulent transaction to a cryptocurrency account. The employee was fired. The company said it needed the incident documented to regain the lost money.

Dog bites woman

• A woman told police Friday that her dog and another dog were lunging at each other about 8 p.m. Thursday in the 100 block of North Addison. She tried to pull her dog away and then was bitten by the other dog. She received treatment for an injured finger. An investigation is pending.

Thief chased

• A man stole an unsecured Gary Fisher mountain bicycle about 8:30 p.m. near Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, 367 S. Spring Road. The victim ran after the suspect, but lost sight of him around Spring Road and Prairie Path Lane.

Store scammed

• A person took a vacuum cleaner from the sales floor and went to the customer service desk to return the item for store credit about 5 p.m. Friday at Kohl's, 303 S. Route 83. The suspect then used store credit to fraudulently buy two items. An investigation is pending.

Threatening messages

• A resident in the 200 block of North Maison Court told police Friday about receiving threatening messages from the suspect via social media. The resident did not wish to sign complaints, but wanted the incident documented.

Bicycle issues

• A blue Schwinn bicycle was leaning against a tree in front of a house about 4:30 a.m. Friday in the 1000 block of South Mitchell Avenue. An officer took possession of the bike and was unable to find owner information. It was taken into evidence for safekeeping.
• A white and green Airflex brand bicycle was found Saturday on the rocks near the Canadian Railroad tracks. The bike's owner was unable to be found. The bike was put into evidence for safekeeping.

Footsteps heard

• A person told police she heard faint footsteps coming up the starts to the second floor of her house about 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of Yorkfield. The resident then heard three loud bangs as if someone was knocking aggressively on her door. Nothing was missing, damaged or disturbed in the house. The person's father was also home and did not hear anything unusual.

Suspicious

• A person considered suspicious was seen about 9:30 a.m. Friday in the parking lot at York High School, 355 W. St. Charles Road. The person appeared disoriented, but refused medical treatment. He was released to his father.

Social Security scam

• A resident at York Meadows in the 800 block of North York Street told police Friday that he was contacted by someone purporting to be with the U.S. Social Security Administration. The person requested the resident provide personal information and withdraw cash for a future wire transfer. The resident provided the personal information and went to the bank to withdraw the money. Bank employees stopped the transaction and told the victim to contact the police.

Unreturned U-Haul

• U-Haul, 877 S. Route 83, rented a moving truck for a few hours Wednesday. The company made several attempts to contact the suspect, who has yet to return the vehicle. The company tried to charge the credit card on file, but the transaction was declined. An investigation is pending.

Grant scam

• A woman at The Atrium on Oak Tree Court told police Friday that she received an email requesting she send her personal information to apply for a grant. The woman provided the information before finding out the email was a scam.

Theft

• Two women left Evolve Beauty Bar, 261 N. York St., without paying for hair treatment.

Check fraud

• Swiatek Inc., 730 N. Industrial Drive, told police Saturday that it mailed a check Aug. 29 but that it was never delivered. The company checked with its bank and learned the check had been altered to a different payee and then fraudulently cashed. An investigation is pending.

Fraudulent listing

• A resident in the 100 block of North Clara told police Sunday that he was browsing his properties on Zillow when he saw that one in Georgia was fraudulently listed without his authorization. An investigation is pending.

Falling down

• A woman fell in the 100 block of North York Street about 4 p.m. Sunday. It happened when the heel of her shoe got caught, causing her to lose balance. She declined to be taken to the hospital.
• A man fell and was found lying on the ground about 11 p.m. Thursday near the entrance of Knights of Columbus, 537 S. York St. He suffered an injury to his left shoulder. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.