Dozing Driver's Illegal Gun Grabbed At Gas Station: HP Blotter

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The following information comes from the Highland Park and Highwood police departments and public records as a record of incidents reported to the police and of those arrested by police. Criminal charges represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

INCIDENTS

SHOPLIFTING

• An unidentified male thief stole $773 worth of cosmetics from the Target store at 2099 Skokie Valley Road at some point on Aug. 2, police were told on Aug. 11.
• An unidentified male shoplifter made off with $544 worth of cosmetics from the Target store at 2099 Skokie Valley Road on Aug. 6, police were told on Aug.11
• An unidentified female shoplifter stolen an unknown quantity of skin care products from the CVS Pharmacy at 1539 Clavey Road prior to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 15.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone smashed a rear passenger window on a Volvo SUV in a parking lot in the 1300 block of Sunset Road and stole a purse with credit cards inside at some point prior to 1:15 p.m. on Aug. 11.
• Someone smashed a passenger window on a Buick SUV while it was parked in a lot in the 2200 block of Skokie Valley Road prior to 3 p.m. on Aug. 11. A Gucci purse containing identification and about two dozen credit cards was stolen from within.
• A thief stole a gas-powered leaf blower from a landscaping trailer in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue prior to 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 13.

THEFTS

• Someone stole $200 in cash from inside a wallet inside the employee work area of Highland Health Foods, 149 Skokie Valley Road, about a week before it was reported on Aug. 11.
• An earring and a ring from a home in the 900 block of Augusta Way worth a combined $9,000 were reported missing after being last seen in June.
• Two red, wooden lawn chairs were stolen from a front lawn in the 2100 block of Tangle Wood Court around 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 13.
• Two pieces of jewelry last seen at a home in the 1700 block of Second Street in February were reported stolen on Aug. 14.
• Someone stole a possibly unlocked bicycle from the rear of the Petco at 1616 Deerfield Road prior to 4:45 p.m. on Aug. 16.

VANDALISM

• Graffiti with a communist symbol and an violent anti-establishment exhortation was found in black and gold spray paint underneath the Berkeley Road ramp underpass on the morning of Aug. 13.
• Graffiti in support of the Black Lives Matter movement was found painted in white on a wall and on the street at the entrance to the Chantilly subdivision near Skokie Valley Road.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• Someone cut up three posted signs indicating residential identification is required in the first block of Ravine Drive during the night of Aug. 14 or morning of Aug. 15.
• A driver crashed into a mailbox in the 2900 block of Parkside Drive between 9:45 and 11 a.m. on Aug. 15 and left.

ARRESTS

Charles M. Clark Jr., 26, of the first block of Prairie View Court, North Chicago, was arrested around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 11 after officers got a call of a patron passed out at the station at the Shell gas station at 1411 Park Avenue West. Police reported finding Clark asleep inside a car parked at a gas pump. Officers said they noticed he had a handgun in plain view on his lap. Clark was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a loaded, unlicensed firearm. He was ordered jailed in lieu of the $7,500 cash portion of his bail.

John E. Clair, 60, of the 300 block of Central Avenue, Highland Park, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 on an outstanding Chicago Police Department warrant for assault following a call for a well-being check in the 2600 block of Waukegan Avenue.

Andre L. Aiken, 20, of the 5700 block of North Winthrop Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 13 and charged with obstructing identification following a traffic stop on the where Aiken was a passenger. Aiken was also accused of possessing of cannabis.

Dominique Ware, 23, of the 200 block of Julian Street, Waukegan, was arrested around 5 a.m. on Aug. 13 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and DUI with a breath alcohol concentration of o.08 or greater following a traffic stop on Skokie Valley Road near Old Elm Road. He was also cited for speeding and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol.

Samuel Yoon, 39, of the 2100 block of Rugen Road, Glenview, was arrested around 4 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following an investigation of a one-car accident on Skokie Valley Road near Chantilly. Yoon was also cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and improper lane usage.

Darius Blandon, 28, of the 900 block of Manchester Circle, Grayslake, was arrested around 4 a.m. Aug. 14 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater, obstructing identification and driving while license revoked following a traffic stop on the Edens Expressway near Clavey Road. Blandon was also cited for improper lane usage, illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol, possession of cannabis and disobeying a traffic control device.

Thomas Brooks, 45, of the 300 block of Lakeside Place, Highland Park, was arrested around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 and charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery after officers were dispatched to his home by a call to 911.

Earlier: Pro-Police Yard Signs Snatched; 2 SUVs Stolen; Deerfield Woman With Warrant Charged With Resisting Arrest: Highland Park Police Blotter, Aug. 3 to Aug. 9

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