5 Homes, 1 Business Burglarized; 6 Stores Shoplifted: Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — The following information comes from the Northbrook Police Department as a record of incidents reported to police and those arrested on criminal charges, which represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed to be innocent unless found guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

INCIDENTS

HOME BURGLARIES

• Someone forced open the front door of a home in the 2600 block of Lisa Court and burglarized the home at some point prior to 10 p.m. on Dec. 13. The master bedroom was ransacked, and an unknown amount of jewelry appeared to be stolen.
• A resident in the 1900 block of Somerset Lane reported around 9 a.m. on Dec. 20 that jewelry had been taken from a cabinet drawer inside their home.
• A resident in the 100 block of Wellington Road reported around 6:15 p.m. on Dec. 20 that they had gotten a call from their home security company about a motion alarm being activated. Officers found a sliding door left open and could see the master bedroom had been ransacked. The resident reported multiple pieces of jewelry had been stolen.
• A resident in the first block of The Court of Greenway reported at 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 20 that someone had gotten into their home through a sliding glass and screen door and rummaged through a dresser. Miscellaneous items of jewelry were reported missing.
• Around 6 p.m. on Dec. 23, police were dispatched to a home in the 2500 block of Mulberry Lane for an activated burglar alarm. Officers reported finding pry marks on a patio door. It did not appear anyone was able to gain entrance.
• Someone broke into a home in the 2900 block of Cherry Lane through the back door at some point prior to 4 p.m. Dec. 29. The only thing that appeared to have been stolen at the time of the report was costume jewelry.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
Someone used spray paint to vandalize several parts of a building in the 1300 block of Shermer Road prior to about 9 a.m. on Dec. 15. A can was spray paint was found left behind.

FRAUD
A Redwood Lane resident reported on the evening of Dec. 16 that someone had twice used their bank account information on fake checks.

IDENTITY THEFT
An Adirondack Drive resident reported on the morning of Dec. 18 that their bank notified them someone had used their name to try to open up a line of credit with a cellular company. The resident reported also receiving a letter saying someone had opened an unauthorized credit card using their identity.

STOLEN ITEMS FOR SALE
A representative of a business in the 500 block of Lindberg Lane reported that items that should have been in the business' warehouse had been found to be listed for sale online at area pawn shops. The theft was reported to have occurred between November 2018 and Dec. 2019.

THEFT OF GIFT
A resident in the 4000 block of Bordeaux Drive reported on the morning of Dec. 24 that someone had stolen a small gift they had left in their mailbox for their postal worker.

STOLEN CAR
A resident in the 500 block of Dundee Road reported around 2 p.m. on Dec. 25 that his girlfriend had taken his car after an argument. When she was contacted by phone, she refused to return the car and said she was on her way to Minnesota.

COUNTERFEIT CASH
Staff at the Mariano's, 784 Skokie Blvd., reported around 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 that someone had used counterfeit bills to buy a gift card and two flower bouquets.

PLANTER THEFT
A resident in the 2500 block of Salceda Drive reported around 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 30 that someone had stolen a large planter from the front yard of a home.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY
After a passerby reported seeing an open door in the rear of a building in the 1300 block of Shermer Road around 2 p.m. on Dec. 22, police checked the premises with the business owners. The owners noticed cash was missing from the register behind the bar. Also stolen was a second cash register in the kitchen and a safe from the basement.

VANDALISM

• Someone spray painted the "No Outlet" sign in the 1300 block of 1st Street, as well as a telephone in the area, police discovered around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 19.
• Police discovered graffiti on a concrete barrier near the railroad tracks in the 1700 block of Techny Road around 10 p.m. on Dec. 19.
• Around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 26, police found black spray paint graffiti on a yellow barrioer at the end of Anets Drive at Techny Prairie Park.
• Several street signs and park benches in the 1700 block of Techny Road were found to be freshly spray painted around 7:30 p.m. on DEc. 26.

THEFTS IN STORES

• Around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, police were told a patron of a business in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard discovered their phone and wallet had gone missing from a purse while shopping. The shopper discovered a debit card from the wallet was used in an unsuccessful attempt to make a purchase in the south Chicago suburbs.
• Someone left behind a phone in the Northbrook Court Apple Store between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 18, but the phone was gone and could not be located upon the shopper's return.

THEFTS FROM STORES

• Staff of an unspecified store in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard reported a male shoplifter ran out of the store and into a waiting car, stealing various items he had placed into a bag he brought with him.
• Three men or boys stole "numerous clothing items" from racks at the Northbrook Court Neiman Marcus around 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 17, leaving through an exit on the upper level.
• Staff at the Northbrook Court Louis Vuitton reported around 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 21 that five men or boys came into the store and grabbed multiple bags and purses before the mall.
• Two female shoplifters stole a wallet and a bag from the Northbrook Court Neiman Marcus around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 22.
• Two women or girls stole three coats from the Northbrook Court Neiman Marcus, staff reported around 6 p.m. on Dec. 22.
• Staff at the Nordstrom Rack, 199 Skokie Blvd., reported around 8 p.m. on Dec. 30 that two female shoplifters stole multiple items of clothing and pairs of boots before fleeing the store.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone stole a backpack from the back seat of a car in the 800 block of Waukegan Road prior to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 19.
• Someone stole a wallet from the center console of a car parked in the lot of a gym in the 1100 block of Skokie Boulevard.
• A work van parked outside a home in the 300 block of Pebblebrook Road was burglarized prior to 10 p.m. Dec. 31. A generator and other tools were reported stolen.

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ARRESTS

Alejandro P. Atempa, 43, of the 300 block of Virginia Place, Wheeling, was arrested around 3:15 a.m. Dec. 15 near the intersection of Waukegan and Willow Road after police reported he was found to be driving under the influence of an unspecified substance.

Neda N. Musa, 23, of the 3000 block of Central Street, Evanston, was arrested around 6 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Northbrook Court Neiman Marcus and charged with misdemeanor retail theft after police reported she stole several jackets, clothing items, purses, wallets and pillowcases from the store.

Joe Magana, 35, of the 1500 block of North 18th Avenue, Melrose Park, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Dec. 17 after police got word from a passerby that a car had just struck a fire hydrant near Forest View Drive and Oak Knoll Terrace. Police said officers determined the driver was intoxicated and Magana was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater. Police also issued him improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed citations.

Ion Turcan, 31, of the 9700 block of North Fox Glen Drive, Niles, was arrested around 8 p.m. on Dec. 23 and charged with retail theft after police reported he was caught stealing a jacket from the Northbrook Court Neiman Marcus.

Magda L. Galvez Estrada, 24, of the 3000 block of North Allen Avenue, was charged with retail theft after she was detained by staff at the Mariano's, 784 Skokie Blvd., around 2 p.m. on Dec. 29. Police were told she had stolen various items from the store.

Zilani Mhango, 19, of the 1700 block of Sable Lane, Mount Prospect, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 29 and charged with criminal damage to property. A motorist reported she was inside a car in a driveway in the 1600 block of Brighton Court when someone broke its rear window and left the area, according to police. Police reported a witness saw Mhango break a window and leave the area.

Beena Padia, 46, of the 9100 block of Hollyberry Avenue, Des Plaines, was arrested around 6 p.m. on Jan. 1 and charged with DUI following a traffic stop near the intersection of Pfingsten and Dundee roads. She was also issued improper lane usage and no insurance citations.

Earlier: Smash-and-Grab Burglars Steal ATMs; Stolen Car Disabled; Plug Pulled On Holiday Lights; Garage Door Opener Allows Theft Of Car: Northbrook Police Blotter, Dec. 2–Dec. 8

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