Ice Theft Leads To Culprit In Case Of False Fire Alarm: 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

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

• A resident in the 400 block of Broadview Avenue reported around 5:30 p.m. on July 2 that someone had smashed a car window at an unknown time.
• A resident in the 2700 block of Lauretta Place reported around 9:30 a.m. on July 5 that someone slashed the back tires of their car.
• A resident in the 100 block of Skokie Valley Road reported around 7 p.m. on July 5 that someone had keyed their car during the afternoon.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone stole various pieces of property from an unlocked car in the 1200 block of St. John's Avenue during the overnight hours of July 2 to July 3.
• Someone stole headphones from an unlocked car in the 900 block of Marion Avenue during the overnight hours of July 2 to July 3.

RETAIL THEFT
Police were told around 10 a.m. on June 4 that someone stole 18 cans of a baby formula worth $358 from an unspecified business in the 2000 block of Skokie Valley Road.

TRAILER BREAK-IN
A resident in the 1500 block of Old Skokie Road reported around 8:45 a.m. on July 6 that someone broke into a trailer and stole miscellaneous pieces of landscaping equipment between July 3 and July 5.

PACKAGE THEFT
A resident in the 700 block of Orleans Drive reported around 3 p.m. on July 7 that someone stole a package worth $403 from their front porch.

ARRESTS

Michael Armstead, 52, of the 100 block of West Division Street, Chicago, was arrested around 2 a.m. on July 3 and charged with misdemeanor retail theft and felony disorderly conduct in connection with separate incidents after police were called to the 2100 block of Green Bay Road for a report of a person taking ice from an exterior ice container. Armstead was also charged with making a fire false alarm after he was identified in surveillance camera footage as the person who illegally triggered a fire alarm on June 19 in the 400 block of Laurel Avenue.

Jessica Becerra, 24, of the 1500 block of Park Avenue, Highland Park, was arrested around 7 a.m. on July 6 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and issued a citation for improper lane usage after police pulled her over at the intersection of Skokie Valley Road and Half Day Road.

Alvarez Ray, 18, of the 800 block of Essex Circle, Grayslake, was arrested around 3:30 a.m. on July 6 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater and speeding more than 35 mph over the limit in a construction zone. He was also issued citations for disobeying a traffic control device and improper lane usage following a traffic stop at the intersection of Edens Expressway and County Line Road.

Last Week: Arrests Follow Complaints Of Shouting, Bad Driving: Highland Park police blotter, June 24–30

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