Niles Police: 94-Year-Old Dies Mid-Prayer

NILES, IL — The following information is from the Niles Police Department. It is a record of police activity. Criminal charges can be dropped or reduced, and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

THEFT

On Feb. 6, shortly after 5:30 p.m., a woman was stopped by the security guard at a retail store on the 8500 block of Golf who said they say observed her concealing $31 worth of cosmetic items on her person. She was issued an ordinance citation for petty theft and paid the fine on scene.

At 1:12 p.m. on Feb. 7, an employee from a retail store on the 7700 block of Milwaukee said a man took two bottles of Hennessy cognac from the shelf and hid them under his jacket around 11:30 a.m. that day. The man allegedly had gone to the register and paid for just can of beer before exiting the store without paying for the Hennessy. The value of the bottles was $170. An investigation continues, police said.

STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERED

In the early morning hours of Feb. 6, Niles police located a Honda Accord covered in the parking lot of an empty business on the 9200 block of Greenwood. A license check revealed the vehicle was reported stolen out of Mount Prospect, and police turned the vehicle over to MPPD.

DEATH INVESTIGATION

On Feb. 6 around 12:30 p.m., police and fire responded to a call of an unresponsive person person at a hotel on the 6300 block of Touhy. Employees discovered the body of Shirly R. Christmann, 68, after checking up on the victim who had not been seen in several days. She was declared dead at 12:43 p.m..

IDENTITY THEFT

On Feb. 7 around 4:00 p.m., police responded to a fraud in progress at a cell phone store on the 5700 block of Touhy, officers located two offenders who attempted to leave. The store manager said the two subjects had come into the store to pick up online purchases with what the manager described as an obviously fraudulent IDs and called the police. The offenders, Richard M. Lach, unknown age, of 22600 block of Imperial Drive in Richton Park, and Latavia M. Hudson, 29, of the 3700 block of W. 82nd Place in Chicago, were attempting to pick up three iPhones. Both subjects were detained with apparently fake IDs and taken to Niles Police Department headquarters where their fingerprints revealed their true identities. The man was found to be on parole and police notified the Illinois Department of Corrections.Recovered in the vehicle were multiple credit cards with the same number on them but with different names as well as multiple ID cards with the man's photo on them with different names. Both defendants were read their Miranda Warnings and interviewed before being charged with felony charges of possession of fake IDs.

RETAIL THEFT

On Feb. 7, shortly after 5:30 p.m., security at a retail store on the 6100 block of Touhy saw a 21-year-old Chicago woman selecting items offered for sale and hiding them in other items. The woman then went to the self-checkout and scanned and paid for only one item. She was stopped outside the store and items worth $327.24 were found. She was booked and released on bond pending her court date.

THREAT

On Feb. 7, around 5:15 p.m., the security manager at a package service facility on the 5900 block of Howard Street reported receiving a call from a disgruntled customer who was upset because a package she had ordered was not redirected to where she had requested and was sent to the Howard Street facility for in person pick up. After being told this, the woman told the customer service representative, "Tell station that I am coming with a bomb." The employee her advised that all calls are recorded for quality assurance, and did not want to sign any complaints. A Niles police officer was in the lot when the suspect was supposed to arrive, but they never showed up.

LOST/ STOLEN PROPERTY

On Feb. 6 shortly after 4:20 p.m.m, a victim reported her wallet and IDs were lost or stolen. She said the last time she remembered having both with her was prior to her entering a retail store on the 7900 block of Milwaukee sometime on Jan. 26. She said it was not until she got home later that night she noticed her things missing but was unable to provide information regarding any other lost items.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

On Feb. 6, at 4:50 p.m. a victim on the 5700 block of Toughy noticed his unlocked Nissan SUV was hit with an estimated $3,000 worth of damage.

RETAIL THEFT

On Feb. 4 at 4:37 p.m. security at a retail store on the 8500 block of Golf Road noticed Dinko P. Kralchev, 33, of Arlington Heights, paying for some items at the self-checkout register while concealing items in his jacket pocket. As he was leaving the store, security stopped him and recovered items including food and youth trading cards valued at $44.18. He was taken into custody.

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES

On Feb. 8, around 4:40 p.m., the manager of a restaurant on the 8100 block reported that three men entered the restaurant and ordered an appetizer to go. When the one of the males attempted to pay for the order with a $50 bill, the manager felt the bill was not authentic and handed it back to them and told them to leave. They were then told to leave and called 911, but a check of the area by responding officers did not locate the suspects.

LOST PROPERTY

On Feb. 8, shortly after 12:30 p.m. 29-year-old Chicago man was shopping at a retail store on the 7300 blockk of Melvina with his wedding ring on. On his ride home he noticed it was missing and went back to the store and looked for the ring with the store manager but didn't find it. The value of the loss is estimated at $1,200.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

On Feb. 9 at 8:45 p.m., police responded to a battery complaint at the Fitness Center on the 9200 block of Milwaukee. When they arrived, they found a 48-year-old Des Plaines man who said that while working out he was pushed by a 52-year-old man from Wheeling. Police spoke to the suspect who stated he did not push the victim. Instead, he said the victim was in the way of the mirror and he put his hands on the victim to move him but did not push him. Management of the gym said there was no video of the incident due to the location. The victim did not wish to sign complaints, so the offender was issued an ordinance citation for disorderly conduct.

DEATH INVESTIGATION

On Feb. 9, at 2:30 a.m., police were called to a home on the 7800 block of Oconto, where the victim's son stated his mother passed away. Niles police and fire responded and with the son's assistance he translated for the Polish speaking caretaker. The caretaker said the victim, a 94-year-old woman, was feeling weak around 1:00 a.m., when she began praying with the caretaker. A short time later she stopped praying, at which point the caretaker noticed she was not breathing. The caretaker then called victim's son, who called 911. Julia Z. Dobek was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m.

THEFT

On Feb. 9, at 12:13 p.m. a 72-year-old woman was shopping in the shoe department in a retail store at Golf Mill Mall. She was carrying two shopping bags containing clothing valued at $90, which she set down on the floor and walked away momentarily. When she returned, the shopping bags and the items were gone.

BURGLARY TO VEHICLE

On Feb. 8, around 8:30 a.m., a 27-year-old man said someone broke into his 1994 Acura Integra parked on the 9000 block of Cumberland. The victim said when he came out to his car, he observed the hood up and the rain guards removed from both doors. The victim then noticed the doors were unlocked, and the radio, and shifter knob were missing from inside of the car. The victim then checked his trunk and found a jack, jack stands, creeper, drill, and breaker bar all missing. The vehicle was processed by an evidence technician.