Stolen Cars; Cannabis And Traffic Arrests: Lake Forest Crime Reports

LAKE FOREST, IL — The following information comes from the Lake Forest Police Department as a record of police activity. Readers are reminded that an arrest is not an indication of guilt and criminal charges are often dropped or reduced. All persons named are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

INCIDENTS

STOLEN CARS

Police were called to the 700 block of Beverly Place on July 18 around 2 a.m. after a homeowner reported someone had stolen two vehicles, a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and a 2015 Toyota 4Runner, from the driveway sometime that night. Police were told both vehicles had been left unlocked with the keys inside. Police also found an abandoned vehicle that had previously been reported stolen by Monee police. Police said there were also several reports of burglaries to nearby motor vehicles in the area involving people entering unlocked cars and stealing items.

ARRESTS

TRAFFIC OFFENSES

A 33-year-old Winthrop Harbor man was arrested July 17 at 10:02 a.m. at Route 41 and Deerpath Road after police officers performing routine truck enforcement in the area stopped a truck for an overweight registration violation. When police spoke to the driver, they determined his license was suspended. The man was arrested, charged with driving with a suspended license and cited with overweight registration and unsafe use of equipment.

DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

An 18-year-old Lake Forest man was arrested on July 18 near the intersection of Scott Street and McKinley Road. Police on routine patrol saw two vehicles parked in the Scott Street lot around 11:32 p.m. As police approached the vehicles in the lot, one drove away. Officers walked over to the other vehicle and spoke to the driver. They said they immediately smelled marijuana wafting from inside jeep. They also noticed "visible signs of smoke." The 18-year-old was asked to exit the vehicle, and when police searched it they found drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle as well as cannabis on his person and inside the vehicle. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cannabis, processed and released on bond with a Sept. 5 court date in Park City.

TRAFFIC/CANNABIS

Three teenage girls, two from Highwood and one from North Chicago, were arrested on July 21 at the intersection of Westleigh and Valley roads. Police were on routine patrol when they noticed a speeding 2005 Honda going 67 mph in a 35 zone. They pulled over the car and spoke to the driver. She was identified as a juvenile and told police she did not have a license. All three were removed from the vehicle and two of the three were found to have cannabis and drug paraphernalia in their possession. All three were taken into custody, cited and turned over to their parents and the vehicle was impounded.

SUSPENDED LICENSE/CANNABIS

A 36-year-old Waukegan man was arrested July 24 at 2:34 a.m. at Route 60 and Field Court and charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of cannabis. Police on routine patrol conducted a traffic stop in after determining the registered owner had a suspended license. Police on scene confirmed that the driver had a suspended license and smelled marijuana coming from inside the car. The driver was removed from the car and arrested for driving with a suspended license. Police also found a bag of cannabis in his front pocket and he was also cited for unlawful possession of cannabis.

REVOKED LICENSE/CANNABIS

A 25-year-old Gurnee man and a 20-year-old Waukegan woman were arrested July 25 at 7:15 p.m. near Route 41 and Old Elm Road after police reported to a 9-1-1 call of a reckless driver in a dark blue Dodge Charger. Police found the vehicle and determined the registration was expires, so they pulled over the vehicle. The driver admitted he did not have a driver's license and police confirmed it had been revoked. Police also smelled marijuana in the car, spoke to the passenger and found a bag of cannabis in her possession. The driver was arrested for driving with a revoked license and cited for expired registration. The passenger was cited for cannabis possession.

NO LICENSE/CANNABIS

A 19-year-old North Chicago woman was arrested July 26 at 12:04 a.m. near the intersection of Route 41 and Deerpath Road. Police saw a vehicle headed eastbound on Route 60 at a high rate of speed. They pulled over the car for speeding and spoke to the driver. They determined she did not have a valid license and was in possession of cannabis. She was arrested, charged with no valid drivers license and cited for possession of cannabis.

NO LICENSE/CANNABIS

A 21-year-old Waukegan man was arrested July 26 at 3:05 p.m. at Waukegan and Old Mill roads. Police stopped a black Honda sedan for speeding in the area, and when police approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver they determined he did not have a valid driver's license. He was also found to be in possesion of drug paraphernalia and cannabis. The man was processed and released on bond with an August court date.

NOTE FROM THE LAKE FOREST POLICE DEPARTMENT

It only takes seconds to steal your car or steal your stuff!

It's not at all uncommon for thieves to walk down a neighborhood at night or down a row of parked vehicles at the mall and check vehicle doors to see if they are unlocked.

The Lake Forest Police Department needs your help to keep our community off the target list of the thieves by following these simple steps to reduce your vulnerability and that will force the thieves to look elsewhere.

• Don’t leave your keys or key fob inside the car. Thieves cannot only steal your car, they will also have access to your home.
• Make sure your car windows and doors are locked, even the trunk. Offenders will try to enter vehicles through open doors or trunks that have not been properly closed.
• Don’t keep items of value in plain sight or take them out of the vehicle completely. Cell phones, cameras, computers, wallets, purses, vehicle titles, etc. Thieves can sell your stuff for money and can get a lot of personal information from you about your home, family, and friends.

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