Man Batters Cops During Retail Theft Arrest: Northbrook Police Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — The following information comes from the Northbrook Police Department and court records 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.

ARRESTS

SUSPENDED/REVOKED DRIVER'S LICENSE

Avante Starnes, of Gurnee, is accused of driving with a suspended license, having an expired registration, and was arrested at 6:49 p.m. Oct. 25, at Willow Road and Patriot Drive. A court date of Dec. 2 was assigned

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Caroline Chiuye, of Mount Prospect, is accused of improper lane usage, driving under the influence, DUI alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or more, and was arrested at 12:26 a.m. Oct. 26, at Landwehr and Dundee roads. A court date of Dec. 2 was assigned.

RETAIL THEFT

Joshua B. Kurtz, of Woodridge, is accused of felony retail theft, felony aggravated battery to a peace officer, resisting a peace officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, and was arrested at 12:16 p.m. Oct. 30, in the 1500 block of Lake Cook Road. The loss prevention staff at a retail store had stopped Kurtz after he had attempted to steal several items of clothing. The staff said they were fighting with Kurtz. Once the officers arrived, Kurtz struck the officers and resisted arrest. Kurtz was eventually taken into custody. While searching Kurtz, the officers found a pipe with residue inside. Kurtz admitted he used it to smoke crack cocaine. The officers also learned that Kurtz had an active arrest warrant through Lake County for probation violations because of previous thefts. A court date of Oct. 31 was assigned.

BAD CHECK/STOLEN VEHICLE

Stamatios E. Shinas, of Mundelein, is accused of felony deceptive practices, driving while license revoked, and was arrested at 4:20 p.m. Oct. 29, in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard. On July 30, the staff at an auto dealership made a police report because Shinas purchased a 2020 BMW M8 with a bad check. When the dealership tried submitting the check to their bank, the check came back "non-sufficient funds." After several unsuccessful attempts by the dealership and the Northbrook Police Department to contact Shinas, an arrest warrant was issued. On Aug. 8, the Illinois State Police found the stolen BMW in the suburb of Cicero. Shinas was nowhere to be found, though. On Oct. 30, Shinas was taken into custody. A court date of Nov. 14 was assigned.

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INCIDENTS

PICKPOCKET/FRAUD

A citizen reported that while shopping at 4:47 p.m. Oct. 25, at a grocery store in the 700 block of Skokie Boulevard, someone stole her Coach wallet out of her purse without her noticing. The complainant discovered the theft when she got home, but remembered a woman that brushed up against her in one of the aisles. One of the complainant's stolen credit cards was used at a local Apple store. The $1,953.90 fraudulent purchase was declined by the credit card company.

BURGLARY

A member of a fitness club in the 4100 block of Dundee Road reported checking in at 11:01 a.m. Oct. 26. After locking his backpack in a locker, the complainant proceeded to workout. When he returned to the locker room he noticed his lock had been removed and his backpack had been opened. He noticed his large amount of cash ($6,000) was missing. Prior to finding the locker burglary, the complainant noticed a suspicious person hanging out in the locker room when he arrived.

THEFT

Residents in the 2900 block of Lake Placid Lane and 800 block of Hawthorne Lane reported at 9 a.m. Oct. 27, their “Harris Walz” yard signs had been stolen from their front yards.

RETAIL THEFT

• The loss prevention staff at a retail store in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard reported at 2:25 p.m. Oct. 27, four people had entered the store. One of them walked over to the perfume fragrances. They placed four high-end perfumes into her purse. All four walked out of the store without paying and fled in a gray sport utility vehicle. The total amount stolen was over $300.
• The loss prevention staff at a retail store in the 1400 block of Lake Cook Road reported on Oct. 28 that on the previous day, two males had entered the store and walked over to the children’s apparel. Each grabbed a dress and concealed them on their person. They walked out of the store and fled in a gold-colored vehicle without paying. The total loss was $910.

COMPUTER FRAUD

A Dundee Road resident reported at 8:32 a.m. Oct. 28, someone had hacked into several of her app accounts and credit card. Illegal money transfers and purchases were made without her consent. The complainant said $1,290 had been stolen through online theft.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD

A resident on The Court of Harborside reported at 10:33 a.m. Oct. 28, someone had used his credit card to make two purchases. The complainant still had his credit card in his possession and thought his information was accessed through a data breach with his accountant’s office.

VANDALISM

The Northbrook Police Department learned of a vandalism incident on Oct. 28 through a local chat group that noticed stickers placed on stop signs. The stops signs were located on private property at a shopping center. The stickers said "GENOCIDE." The management company for the property did not know who had placed them throughout the property’s signs, but they immediately removed them.

IDENTITY THEFT

• A Cobblewood Drive resident reported at 1:25 p.m. Oct. 28, that while checking his credit report, he noticed an outstanding bill from a Verizon account he never opened. When he contacted Verizon they advised him someone used his information in 2022 to open a fraudulent account with an outstanding bill of $5,500.
• A Western Avenue resident reported at 10:34 a.m. Oct. 29, someone in Pennsylvania opened a line of credit in his name at a jewelry store and fraudulently charged $8,267. The complainant also received mail that said someone tried opening a line of credit at three different department stores in his name, but the credit line was denied.

ONLINE SCAM

A Valencia Drive resident reported at 4:39 p.m. Oct. 28, she had applied for a job online. When she was accepted, she received a suspicious email advising her to deposit checks from what appeared to be a consulting group related to the job. When the complainant tried to deposit these checks, her banking institution advised her the checks were counterfeit. Afterward, the complainant received several harassing emails and phone calls from someone asking about the fraudulent checks. The complainant was advised to block the number.

BATTERY

A citizen reported at 12:36 p.m. Oct. 29, he had been confronted by four males while at the skate park in the 1700 block of Techny Road. During the confrontation, one of the four struck the complaint on the head and arm. The complainant did not know the group and they fled after the confrontation.