Niles Crime: 96-Year-Old Woman Steals Strawberries And Other Thefts

NILES, IL — The following information comes from the Niles Police Deparment as a record of police activity. Arrests are not an indication of guilt and criminal charges are merely an accusation that can be dropped or reduced. Everyone is presumed innocent until their guilt is established by a court of law.

DUI

Jakub R. Gradjdura, 22, of the 700 block of Kedzie in Niles, was arrested for DUI after police responded to a car accident at the 6700 block of Howard around 3 a.m. on Feb. 26. Upon speaking to the driver, who was outside his vehicle. The Officer observed the vehicle flipped on top of its roof, falling from a 15 ft raised wall. There was a female passenger who was also in the vehicle who had a cut on top of her head. NFD was called to the scene and transported the female to LGH for treatment. NFD evaluated the driver and he signed a refusal. Upon speaking to the driver it was learned he was speeding on Howard and made a sharp turn that resulted in losing control of the wheel, which caused him to strike the fence and flip the vehicle. When asked where he was coming from and he stated he was coming back from a restaurant on Touhy. The Officer observed his eyes to be red glassy and blood shot, and the smell of an alcoholic beverage reeking from his breath. The driver was also stumbling while walking and having difficulty maintaining his balance. He failed sobriety tests and was taken into custody.

Marvin A. Ontiveros, 25, of the 4900 block of Enfield in Skokie, was arrested for DUI after getting pulled over on the 8800 block of Milwaukee around 1:10 a.m. on Feb. 25. Police said they pulled him over speeding at 58 mph in a 35 mph zone. While following the vehicle he observed the vehicle having difficulty maintaining its lane. Upon speaking to the driver police said they detected a strong odor of alcohol along with bloodshot and glassy eyes. Ontiveros failed sobriety tests and was arrested for DUI and cited for speeding 23 mph over the posted limit.

Christopher C. Clifton, 28, of the 2400 block of Church Street in Evanston, was arrested for DUI at 1:11 a.m. on Feb. 23. Police said they saw him travelling 57 mph on westbound Dempster and pulled him over in the 7200 block. Police said he had bloodshot eyes and slurred his speech. Police said there was a small plastic cup on the floor of the car and an almost empty 200 ml bottle of Patron on the rear seat. A passenger in the back seat said he had been drinking some vodka out of the plastic cup. When asked to perform sobriety tests, Clifton appeared drunk and was taken into custody

DANGEROUS DRIVING

Justin W. Jamie, 22, of the 3900 block of Alwood Lane in Groveport, Ohio, was arrested for driving 97 mph in a 35 mph zone around Dempster and Root at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 25. A Niles Police Officer was on selective speed enforcement at westbound Dempster, west of Milwaukee, when they observed a white car speeding down Dempster. The Officer saw the vehicle swerve out of the path of a different vehicle, later identified as a Honda Civic, also traveling westbound Dempster at approximately 8300 W. Dempster, it was then learned the offender’s vehicle struck the Honda on it’s side. When the Officer asked the driver about the accident he stated he was heading westbound on Dempster in the left curb lane and the Honda "changed lanes without signaling, causing him to hit the Honda as he swerved." He denied traveling at 97 mph on Dempster, despite the radar evidence, which contributed to the crash. The Offender was taken into custody, his vehicle was towed and he was also cited for no proof insurance.

THEFTS

Shortly before 3 p.m. on Feb. 24, a guard in a retail store on the 8500 block of Golf Road said they saw a man and a woman enter the store and select numerous female clothing items. The Hainesville woman, Cassandra L. Fornear, 33, allegedly selected the items and placed inside her shopping cart. The man was seen opening a bag of cookies and consuming while in the store. Police said Fornear placed the items inside store shopping bags and bypassed the last point of payment. She then re-entered the store, attempting to return the items for cash back. When the guard went to stop both offenders, the man ran away, last seen headed towards the Auto Shop. Fornear was arrested. When asked about the man, she said he was her boyfriend and she provided a name but no further information.

On Feb. 24 at 10:30 a.m., a 90-year-old Chicago woman took a box of strawberries from an outside stand and put it in an empty shopping bag. Police said she then left the store on the 5700 block of Touhy without paying for the strawberries. She was issued a citation for shoplifing.

Shortly after 5 p.m. on Feb. 24, a guard at a retail store on the 8500 block of Golf Road reported that a man had taken two flat screen TV's and left the store with them through the rear fire exit doors before entering into a getaway car. The TV's were worth an estimated $1,000. The guard was unable to report the vehicle's make, model or license plate.

At 1:33 p.m. on Feb. 23, a guard at Golf Mill Mall saw two women enter the store and take various pieces of jewelry, clothing, and accessories from their display rack and place the items inside a store shopping bag. The guard then saw the women enter the fitting rooms carrying the bag of merchandise. After a few minutes, the women were seen leaving the fitting room, at which point the guard entered and found empty display boxes and cut merchandise tags on the floor. A fellow worker at the store saw the two women, later identified as Natalya Lezhneva, 43, and Ksenia Kopylova, 23, walk past the final point for payment and walk out the exit door towards the parking lot, the guard told police. The women, both of the 10000 block of Bronx Avenue in Skokie, refused to stop when asked and fled the scene in a gray Hyundai sedan. Morton Grove Police Department located the vehicle and stopped the car on Golf Road and Waukegan Road. Witnesses from the mall came to the scene of the traffic stop and identified the two women, but none of the allegedly stolen goods were found in the vehicle.

Around 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, a guard from a retail store at Golf Mill Center saw 46-year-old Glenview woman enter the store and go immediately towards the cosmetic section. She selected two boxes of eyeliner and then proceeded over towards the jewelry counter where she selected two pairs of earrings and then walk over and select a tee shirt. The items had a total value $108. She hid all the items inside her purse and walked out of the store via the north side doors, thus by-passing the last point of payment. She was stopped and was issued a shoplifting citation and was able to pay the fine while on scene.

Around 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, an employee at a retail store on the 7100 block of Dempster saw a 37-year-old Chicago man take a stereo speaker valued at $200 from a store display. He was issued a citation and paid a fine on scene.

TELEPHONE HARASSMENT

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, a 51-year-old Niles woman called to report than a 52-year-old Lyons woman called her and threatened to shoot her on Feb. 4. According to the caller, the offender is a former friend who believes that the caller has been having an affair with her husband. The offender also allegedly sent a picture of a pistol laying on a desk, pointed away from the camera on Feb. 24. Tere was no direct threat to the caller attached to the photograph. The alleged harasser currently works for a security company in which she carries a pistol. The caller said she just wants the alleged harasser to leave her alone. Police called the alleged offender, who denied ever making any verbal threats. Police adviser her not to have any further contact with her via phone or social media, as further contact could bring about criminal charges. No arrest was made.

EXPIRED LICENSE

Just before 1 p.m. on Feb. 23, Issac Tavizon, 25, of the 1600 block of North Keeler in Chicago, was arrested for driving with a license that had been expired since 2010 after being pulled over in a Chevrolet SUV headed eastbound on Dempster at 50 mph. He was also cited for speeding and failure to wear a seatbeat.

COUNTERFEIT MONEY

Shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, a security guard at a retail store on the 5700 block of Touhy said a 76-year-old Chicago woman may have used a counterfeit $10 bill. Upon speaking to the accused woman, she said she had been given the $10 bill as change from a store in Evanston. The bill was confiscated and inventoried. US Secret Service Agent was notified and requested a copy of the report.

BURGLARY

At 1:11 p.m. on Feb. 23, police were called to a business on the 8700 block of Dempster for an attempted burglary. Someone appeared to have damaged the rear door of a vacant business, although nothing inside was disturbed and the caller did not believe anyone had broken in.

BATTERY

At 8:10 a.m. on Feb. 24, police were called to a report of a battery on the 7400 block of Main Street. They talked with the caller, a 57-year-old man and the alleged offender, a 71-year-old Niles man. The caller said while walking his dog, he and the other man had gotten into a verbal argument and that the man had punched him in the lower left side of his jaw. There were no observable signs of injury. The alleged attacker said the caller was the one who had approached him in a threatening manner The 71-year-old denied hitting the other man or touching him in any way. Both men declined to sign complaints, according to police.