The Flying Puppy and an Alien Abduction—Only One Mystery Solved

Michael Vick Now in the Clear

ELMHURST, Dec. 21—Sergiu E. Muresan, 26, of the 2400 block of Greenshaw Avenue, Chicago, has been charged with cruel treatment of an animal after he allegedly threw a puppy out of the window of his vehicle at the intersection of North Avenue and Route 83 in Elmhurst.

On Dec. 10, police received a call from a witness who said a dog was thrown from a vehicle that was stopped in traffic. As the vehicle left the area, the witness tried to flag down the driver, but he waved him off and continued driving. The dog was rescued by a citizen and turned over to employees at a nearby business.

Muresan surrendered at the Elmhurst Police Department Dec. 21 and was later released on bond pending a court appearance at 9 a.m. Jan. 24 at the DuPage County Courthouse. The offense of cruel treatment of an animal, according to state statute, is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. 

The dog is in good health and is being transferred from the DuPage Animal Hospital to the West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove. Any questions about adoption can be directed to the Humane Society at (630) 960-9600. Donations offers are being referred to local animal rescue shelters or charities.

An Alien Abduction

GENEVA, Dec. 20—Someone took a "green alien" plastic Christmas light fixture from the front yard of a home in the 500 block of Highbury Lane sometime between noon and 5 p.m. The value of the figure was estimated at $50.

They Cut Her Off and Rang Her Up

LA GRANGE, Dec. 19—A woman told police a black, four-door kept cutting off her car while both were going west at about 6:48 p.m. on 47th Street near Ashland Avenue. She said she believes the people in the other car were using a device to set off her cell phone; it kept ringing and then stopped. She turned onto Willow Springs Road and the other car kept going west.

ATM's Dough-Re-Mi MIA

LA GRANGE, Dec. 19—A man told police he tried at about 10:50 a.m. to withdraw $100 from an automated teller machine at Chase Bank, 308 Burlington, in the lane furthest from the bank, but did not get his cash. He planned to talk to Chase officials the next day.

Santa Might Not Get All Those Letters

LA GRANGE, DEC. 19—A police officer unsuccessfully tried to contact a U.S. Postal Service key holder after seeing the mailboxes overfilled at about 7:30 p.m. in front of the post office, 121 W. Hillgrove Ave.

p.s.—cal my lwyer

ST. CHARLES, Dec. 18—A South Elgin woman who admitted to texting while driving after St. Charles policestopped her was then arrested for driving under the influence. Deborah Joan Wadas, 41, of 342 Hickory Ln., was arrested for DUI and cited for two traffic violations, including one for using a wireless telephone.

According to the report, Wadas was stopped by police after the red Ford Explorer she was driving was seen weaving the between the northbound lanes on Randall Road. She reportedly asked police, "Would it be bad if I said I was texting?"

Police were able to smell alcohol and administered field sobriety tests. Wadas reportedly refused to submit to a Breathalyzer test.

Running Late for Choir Practice?

BURR RIDGE, Dec. 18—Joseph Cleary, 24, of 6130 S. Kensington in Countryside, was stopped by police near the intersection of 91st and Drew Street after driving 85 mph in a 30 mph zone at 8:52 a.m. After being pulled over, police said Cleary jumped out of his car and attempted to run. A brief foot chase ensued. Police caught Cleary and charged him with driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit, resisting arrest, unlawful use of a weapon (brass knuckles), reckless conduct, driving without insurance and failure to signal.

One Time You Want Your Foot to be Asleep, It Isn't

ELMHURST, Dec. 18—John T. Sharkey, 46, 4630 Woodland Ave., Western Springs, was arrested and charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper parking on the roadway and DUI after police responded to a report of a vehicle parked in the roadway at York and Adelaide streets at 12:59 a.m. Police reported Sharkey was passed out in the front seat of the vehicle. Officers said they woke him up and he let his foot off the brake and ran into the back of a trailer. He was released on bond.

'Out of Order' Would Have Been OK, Too

LA GRANGE, Dec. 18—After receiving a call at about 2:14 p.m. of a Pace bus at LaGrange Road and Ogden Avenue with "9-1-1" scrolling across the front sign, an officer found the driver was waiting for some help after having trouble with the bus.

When Your Car Needs a Recycling Bin

ST. CHARLES, Dec. 17—A Villa Park man who was found unconscious in his car parked in the Meijer parking lot was arrested for driving under the influence. Stasys Kosa, 38, of 933 S. Villa Ave, was cited for DUI, illegal transportation of alcohol and for not having proof of insurance.

Police were dispatched for a report of someone possibly asleep in a car parked in the lot. Police had difficulty waking Kosa. More than 25 open and empty bottles of wine, vodka and possibly other types of alcohol were found inside car, according to the report. After Kosa had been transported to Delnor Hospital, he reportedly told a nurse he had been drinking for "a week and a half."

Fortunately, Such Events are Medium Rare

ELMHURST, Dec. 17—Luis J. Flores, 20, 19 Briar St. #27, Glen Ellyn, was arrested after an incident at 5:35 p.m. at Portillo's, 155 W. Route 83. Police said Flores got into an argument with employees of Portillo's over a cheeseburger. He reportedly threatened an employee with a knife, and then smashed the revolving glass door of the restaurant with a baseball bat. He was charged with aggravated assault, driving while license revoked, disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and possession of cannabis and taken to DuPage County Jail.

Mittens and a Five-Finger Discount

ST. CHARLES, Dec. 15—An 18-year-old Elgin man was arrested for theft after he allegedly shoplifted a pair of fingerless flip mittens. Julio Armando Rodriguez, of 1345 Royal Blvd., was charged with retail theft in connection with an incident at Von Maur.

Rodriguez told police he had selected the mittens as a gift for his father. A store employee told police Rodriguez entered a dressing room with a shirt and the mittens but only came out with the shirt. The Elgin man then paid for a book he had picked out. When questioned by police, Rodriguez said he had removed the tag off the mittens and concealed them in his sweatshirt, according to the report. He also said he forgot the mittens were in his sweatshirt.

Summon Sherlock Holmes: 'The Adventure of the Malignant Spam'

HINSDALE, Dec. 14—Between 3:10 p.m. on Dec. 14 and 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 20, a man on the 400 Block of East 8th Street received six e-mails of a disturbing and harassing nature from someone whose identity is not known.

Someone's Giving Vacuums for Christmas

ELMHURST, Dec. 8—Someone removed two Dyson DC 25 vacuums valued at $550 each from Kohl's, 303 S. Route 83, at 6:22 p.m. A security officer heard the alarm for the fire exit, so she checked the video system and observed a suspect wearing a black baseball hat, black hooded jacket, blue jeans and white shoes removing the items and leaving the store. The same person was seen in the store on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5. It is unknown if anything was taken at those times, but inventory of the Dyson vacuums showed about seven of them are unaccounted for.

They Might Not be Speaking, but He's Still Talking

ELMHURST—A resident of the 100 block of North Berteau reported that while checking her bank statement she noticed an unauthorized charge to AT&T for $201 at noon Nov. 8. She called AT&T and was told the payment was for her ex-boyfriend's phone bill.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our town, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor of this Patch site and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.