Downtown Hinsdale Briefcase Theft Detailed: Police

HINSDALE, IL — The friends of Hinsdale resident Jamie J. Dubrovay say she is a good person who volunteers for local causes. They came out in force online to defend her earlier this month when Patch published a story based on a local police news release about her arrest. And they took Patch to task for its coverage.

The 57-year-old was charged with domestic battery, battery, criminal trespass to a vehicle, theft and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.

The alleged incident happened in broad daylight in downtown Hinsdale. Dubrovay is accused of stealing a briefcase containing $2,000 in cash from a man.

In online comments in response to Patch's first story, Dubrovay's friends say she was the victim, not the other way around. And her lawyer contended his client would be found not guilty.

Patch obtained the police report on the incident between her and the man, which took place about 5:30 p.m. May 22 in the 10 block of Chicago Avenue. An arrest warrant for Dubrovay was obtained June 5, and she was served June 17. She was taken to the DuPage County Jail.

According to the report, the man told police he was walking on the sidewalk when Dubrovay confronted him, yelling and swearing. She entered the passenger side of his car without permission and removed a black briefcase, which he said included $600 in cash, later raising the amount to $2,000.

Dubrovay returned to a waiting car driven by her friend, with the man following her and asking for his briefcase back, the report said. He called 911. He said he was afraid he would be run over, but didn't want to leave his stolen property, the report said. He told police she knocked the phone out of his hand as he was trying to call police, the report said.

The man told police that he had not been in a relationship or in contact with Dubrovay for 2½ months. But Dubrovay countered she had been in regular contact with the man, police said. She showed officers a text message chain with the man that took place May 12, when they also met in person, according to the report.

Dubrovay told police that she and her friend were in the car heading to a meeting when she saw the man walking on the sidewalk. The man, she said, still had her garage door opener and she wanted it back, so she had her friend stop.

According to the police report, Dubrovay said she entered the man's car to get the garage door opener and took the briefcase because she owned it.

She said she had a receipt to prove that she owned the briefcase and that she gave it to the man as a gift, the report said. She told police she emptied the briefcase of its contents before officers arrived. An officer found nothing inside it, and Dubrovay and her friend denied seeing any cash in it, police said. Her friend corroborated Dubrovay's statements, the report said.

When an officer asked the man whether he wanted to file a complaint, he did not commit, saying he wanted to consult his lawyer. According to the report, he showed red markings to his chest and a cut to his hand that he said occurred when Dubrovay forced her way into his car.

Five days later, the man decided to pursue charges against Dubrovay on the advice of his attorney. He said Dubrovay gave him the briefcase, which he valued at $435, as a gift.

Police said they obtained video of the incident from a nearby business, but the resolution was poor. It showed Dubrovay entering the man's car and removing a black item, according to the police report. The video was too poor to identify any physical contact between Dubrovay and the man, the report said.

In a later interview, the man said the briefcase contained two envelopes with cash — one with $600 and the other with $2,000 — and a Tissot watch. He said he was given the envelope with the $600 at the scene, police said. It was unclear how he got the $600 back and why he did not remember how much money was inside the briefcase.

On June 5, an officer met with Dubrovay's lawyer, Jeff Kendall, and they coordinated his client's surrender. She turned herself in at the police station June 17.

In an email to Patch, Kendall said Dubrovay is presumed innocent of all charges and that the complaints are not evidence in the case. She has pleaded not guilty.

"I fully believe after the presentation of all evidence in this case, my client, Jamie Dubrovay, will be found not guilty," Kendall said.

He said he was limited in what he could say under the rules of professional responsibility about a pending case.

According to the police report, an officer said he recognized Dubrovay and the man from previous domestic disputes that he had investigated. The report did not disclose the nature of those incidents. Patch has filed a public records request.