Fake Repairman Takes Payment Upfront: Morton Grove Crime Reports

MORTON GROVE, IL — The following information comes from the Morton Grove Police Department as a record of police activity. Readers are reminded that an arrest by the police does not constitute a finding of guilt, criminal charges — representing merely accusations by the state — are often dropped or reduced and all persons named are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

INCIDENTS

HOME BURGLARY
A resident in the 9000 block of McVicker Avenue reported a fake repairman stole money on Feb. 7. Police were told residents were waiting for an appointment with a person to repair thieir home's heating system when they noticed a car pass by the house and come back before parking up front. The resident asked the man if his name was "Andy," and he said, "Yes." The man was allowing into a home and took a look at the water heater. The purported repairman told the resident he needed $300 paid upfront in order to replace a part. The resident paid him and the man left, claiming that he would return in two hours to fix the issue. In fact, he never came back. Instead, the real repairman showed up later.

ATTEMPTED HOME BURGLARY
Police responding to a burglar alarm in the 7800 block of Arcadia Street on Feb. 7 discovered that the front door had been forced open but no one was on scene. A resident told police nothing appeared to have been taken or disturbed.

BURGLARY
A resident in the 6000 block of Lincoln Avenue reported on Feb. 10 that someone had opened a package and stole its contents.

STOLEN CAR FOUND
While on patrol in the 6100 block of Elm Street on Feb. 10, an officer found a vehicle that had been reported stolen from Arlington Heights.

RETAIL THEFT
An employee of the Eddie Bauer outlet in the 7200 block of Dempster Street reported on Feb. 11 that a man came into the store carrying two bags. The staffer reportedly asked if the man needed any help. He took a coat, put it in one of the bags and walked out of the store.

BATTERY
While leaving a gas station on Feb. 13 in the 5600 block of Dempster Street, a delivery driver was confronted by five men in an SUV. One man reportedly asked if his name was "Chris" and reportedly "started flashing gang signs at him." A second man swung a squeegee at him, which broke apart in his vehicle.

SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT
A resident in the 7000 block of Emerson Street reported on Feb. 14 that a man had knocked on the door to their home and said he had arrived to make an "estimate on flooring" and asked to be left inside. The resident told the man he had the wrong house and he drove off in a white van.

UNLAWFUL USE OF A CREDIT CARD
A resident of the 8600 block of Ferris Avenue reported on Feb. 14 that someone had made four suspicious charges on their debit to Xfinity totaling $1,312.07.

THEFT FROM VEHICLE
A resident in the 5700 block of Reba Street reported on Feb. 16 that someone stole the front license plate from a vehicle.

BURGLARY
A resident of the 9100 block of Central Avenue reported on Feb. 16 that they found the front door to their house had been forced open and their bedrooms had been rummaged through.

ARRESTS

Mario T. Coleman, 35, 600 block of Greenbay, Calumet City, was arrested Feb. 9 in at the Lake County Jail in Waukegan after the Lake County Sheriff's Office called Morton Grove police to notify them he had been arrested on a Morton Grove warrant.

Emmanuel L. Mays, 19, of the 2700 block of Artesian Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Feb. 9 in the 5800 block of Dempster Street and charged with violation of an order of protection.

Roberto Molina, 54, of the 6300 block of Touhy Avenue, Niles, was arrested in the 8400 block of Major Avenue on Feb. 9 and charged with violating an order of protection .

Three juveniles were issued citations after police said they were caught trying to get into parked cars by pulling on the door handles while out past curfew on Feb. 11 in the 8900 block of Cherry Avenue. All three were issued citations for disorderly conduct and violation of curfew.

Devon E. Dixon, 39, of the 10000 block of Linda Lane, Des Plaines, was arrested on Feb. 12 and accused of drunk driving following a traffic stop.

A 24-year-old Chicago man was arrested on Feb. 14 near the intersection of Austin and Capulina avenues and charged with a driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop.

An 18-year-old Skokie man was arrested and charged with driving a suspended license on Jan. 27 after police witnessed a vehicle trying to leave the area.

Kevin P. Sullivan, 62, of the 300 block of Ridge Avenue, Evanston, was arrested on Feb 15 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following an investigation into a traffic crash near the intersection of Oakton Street and Caldwell Avenue. He admitted to drinking alcohol and failed sobriety tests.

Jose Mandayo, 35, of the 6200 block of Oakley Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Feb. 15 in the 6300 block of Dempster Street and charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop. He admitted to having been drinking, failed field sobriety tests and provided a breath sample with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.196.

Abena B. Evans, 39, of the 2700 block of West Roosevelt Avenue, Chicago was arrested Feb. 16 and charged with retail theft from a dollar store in the 6900 block of Dempster Street.

» Last Week: Masked Gunman Robs Gas Station: Morton Grove Police Blotter: Feb. 3 - Feb. 9

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