Niles Crime: Cashier Scam Busted, Shoplifters Take TVs, Liquor and Ties

NILES, IL — The following information comes from the Niles Police Department as a record of police activity. Criminal charges, which can often be dropped or reduced, represent merely accusations by the state. Everyone is presumed innocent until their guilt is established in a court of law.

FELONY THEFT

Two women were arrested for felony theft after police responded to a report of shoplifters at a retail store on the 9500 block of Milwaukee. A security guard for the store told police he was suspicious of the large number of voided transactions involving two employees. During the investigation into 19-year-old Kimberly Aguilar, of Prospect Heights, store security discovered a large number of voided transactions involving Lesley A. Doron. The guard showed police evidence that Doron had gone through Aguilar's register line and made purchases that would get voided and fraudulently discounted. Aguilar voided a total of 54 items bought by Doron for a total loss of $1141.66, police were told. Store security also told police Doron had voided $660.30 worth of merchandise for Aguilar when Doron had been a cashier. Police were also told Aguilar made 12 fraudulent returns worth $2922.71.

RETAIL THEFT

Philip S. Williams, 27, of the 5200 block of Old Orchard in Skokie, was arrested April 2 shortly before 6 p.m. Police said an employee from a retail store on the 5600 block of Touhy and an off-duty Chicago police officer saw Williams carrying a television set and running out of the east fire door near the store's sporting good section. Police were told he tried to hide the TV, valued at nearly $500, behind trailers on the lot. Responding Niles police found Williams in the 5700 block of Howard and the TV in the nearby parking lot.

DUI

Michael E. Bobo, 26, of the 8700 block of South Wood Street in Chicago, was arrested around 11:45 p.m. on March 31. Niles police were checking drivers' speed that in the 8200 block of Dempster that night when they observed a vehicle traveling 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. After pulling over Bobo's car, police said they noticed his eyes were glossy and bloodshot. Also he allegedly had a a Miller Genuine Draft can in the center console drink holder. Police also found two more empty and three full beer cars, all of which were taken into evidence. Bobo was cited for speeding and awaits a court dates for driving under the influence of alcohol.

THEFT

On 9:30 a.m. on March 28, the manager of a restaurant in the 8200 block of Golf reported that a former employee had removed five blank business checks from the office. The employee allegedly made the checks — for $8600, $982, $900, $900 and another — out to himself. He then signed them using the manager's name and was able to cash two of them before the account was frozen, police were told. The investigation is continuing.

CAR BURGLARY

Someone took credit cards after entering an unlocked car in a driveway in the 8100 block of Prospect on the night of March 26. The victim told police the cards were used at a gas station in the amount of $11.20 before they were cancelled.

RETAIL THEFT

Clint H. Senensky, 29, of the 8700 block of Georgiana Avenue in Morton Grove, was arrested March 29 shortly before 8 p.m. He allegedly picked up a bottle of vodka from the store display and hid it on his person before walking out of a store in the 8200 block of Golf. When the store's security guard followed him outside and confronted him about the theft, he allegedly turned around and shoved the guard in the chest and threw at punch. The two were found scuffling on the group when police arrived.

BURGLARY

Shortly before 4 p.m. on March 29, a victim on the 9200 block of Washington reported her residence had been burglarized. She said she had been home all day and was upstairs when she heard a noise and called 9-1-1. When police arrived they found a broken rear window and open back door. No items were immediately reported missing and the investigation is continuing.

FRAUD

At 2:21 p.m. on March 29, a victim on the 7000 block of Touhy told police someone had gotten access to her store credit card number before using it approximately 50 times at various locations in California between Dec. 28 and Feb. 5.

FRAUD

At 1:13 p.m. on March 30, an caller reported the email of an accounts payable manager at a store on the 8200 block of Golf had been compromised. That day, someone sent out a fraudulent invoice for $47,350 for an account that did not exist. The caller had their account frozen and all parties changed passwords.

RETAIL THEFT

Isaac Tavizon, 25, of the 1600 block of North Keeler in Chicago, was arrested after police responded to a report of a retail theft at a store on the 900 block of Civil Center shortly after 2:30 p.m. on March 26. The store's security guard said Tavizon was seen running out of the main entrance with a drill kit valued at $379.00 without paying. A cashier tried to stop him, but he fled to a car parked in the 7500 block of Oketo. When police arrived and located Tavizon, he admitted, "Okay, you guys got me," police said.

DOMESTIC BATTERY

Matthew S. Bien, 23, of the 7300 block of North Waukegan in Niles, was arrested for domestic battery and interfering with a 9-1-1 call on March 26 shortly after 5:30 a.m. Police said a 22-year-old woman called police to report she had been a victim of domestic violence. She told police she got home around 3 a.m. with Bien, her boyfriend, when the two began arguing. Bien hit her in the face with a closed fist about three times, causing a cut to her lip and a nosebleed, she told police, who documented her injuries. She also described how Bien took her iPhone and threw it on the ground, shattering the screen and making it unusable. Bien told police the victim damaged her own phone and he could not remember how she sustained her injuries. He had scratch marks on his left forearm, police said. Both of their injuries were photographed and Bien was taken into custody, booked and processed.

DOMESTIC BATTERY

Tanya Sarhad, 23, of the 5300 block of Madison in Skokie, was arrested March 25 shortly before 4 a.m. after police responded to a fight in a parking lot of a bar in the 7300 block of Harlem. When Niles police first arrived on the scene, they found the victim, a 24-year-old Chicago man, was being restrained on the ground by the person who called police. The caller had seen the man in the car with Sarhad and pulled him out of the car to the ground, apparantly believing he was battering Sarhad. But police said Sarhad was the agresseor. After leaving the bar, she allegedly hit the victim in the face, causing his nose to bleed, although he was unsure how many times she hit him or whether any implement was used. He told police after that they sat in his car for about 45 minutes arguing about who would drive. Police were told Sarhad began to scream, scratching and punching the victim before he was pulled from the car and police were called.

RETAIL THEFT

Edward C. Flory, 49, of the 4000 block of Triumvera in Glenview, was arrested shortly after 5 p.m. on April 4 at Golf Mill Mall. Police said he had been seen entering a store that he had previously stolen from on March 24. He entered the changing room, exiting with only a small bag, which police were told contained four men's neckties worth $96. When Flory was approached and asked to return, he fled in a black car, but store security recorded his license plate number. Police checked the residence of the registered owner but were unable to located him. He was identified in a video lineup March 31 and voluntarily surrendered himself to Niles police April 4.

RETAIL THEFT

Shortly before 3:30 p.m. on March 24, a man wearing a dark gray jacket, a black shirt and blue jeans entered a store in the 8200 block of Golf Road. He hid items behind a rack, and exited the store taking $8 worth of candy.

RETAIL THEFT

Shortly after 2 p.m. on March 24, two men entered a retail store on the 8900 block of Greenwood. Police were told they went straight for the liquor department, took two bottles of cognac and hid them in their clothes. Security tried to stop the pair in the parking lot, but they fled in a Jeep SUV with $93 worth of stolen cognac.

DECEPTIVE PRACTICE

Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on March 24 a man tried to have a fake prescription for oxycodone filled at a pharmacy on the 5600 block of Touhy. When an employee contacted the doctor, they were told the prescription pad had been reported stolen to the Gurnee police.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

A 40-year-old Chicago woman was involved in a disturbance involving a box cutter at a retail store on the 6100 block of Touhy on March 23 around 2:15 p.m. Store employees told police the woman went to the alcohol section of the store, selected a bottle of wine and began to open and drink from the bottle. When they confronted her, she brandished a box cutter. It scared the employee, but police later found the item did not contain any blades. The woman was transported by the first department due to her level of intoxication. She was also cited for disorderly conduct, public intoxication and cost of emergency services for police and fire.

JUVENILE SHOPLIFTING WITH POT

At 4:10 p.m. on March 23, a security guard at a retail store in Golf Mill Mall witnessed a 17-year-old Des Plaines girl hide a pair of boots and a bottle of perfume in her purse. She tried to exit the store but was stopped by the guard. A search of her purse revealed she had a hand-rolled cigarette containing a green leafy substance, which was field tested as cannabis, police said. She was issued ordinance tickets for the cannabis and petty theft.

HOME BURGLARY

At 11:35 p.m. on March 23, a 58-year-old Niles woman reported she heard a noise in her kitchen on the 9200 block of Washington. When she went to investigated it, she discovered a man had broken through her back door, entered her house and taken her purse. The man fled when she confronted him and the investigation continues.

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