Man Charged With Felony For Stealing Ambulance: Northbrook PD 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

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Jose Castro, of Waukegan, had an active warrant out of Northbrook from a 2018 arrest for driving under the influence. He had reportedly failed to show up to court dates related to the charge. At 1:36 p.m. Feb. 22, Castro was arrested by the Gurnee Police Department for the active warrant. The Northbrook Police Department picked up Castro and took him to the Cook County Jail pending his court date on Feb. 23.

RECKLESS DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM

Justin Navarro, of Northbrook, is accused of reckless discharge of a firearm, reckless conduct, and was arrested at 8:16 p.m. Feb. 24, in the 800 block of Winchester. On Feb. 19, the Northbrook Police Department responded to a residence when the homeowner discovered their window was shattered. Once the officers arrived, it was determined that several holes were in the wall opposite their shattered window. The officers suspected the damage was from a firearm. They followed the trajectory back to the source and noticed the neighbor had similar damage coming out of their residence’s exterior wall. The officers questioned the neighbor, Navarro. He said he had been loading his new shotgun and didn’t realize the safety was not on. When Navarro grabbed the shotgun by the trigger, the weapon fired, causing damage to his house and the neighbor's. Navarro never checked to see if his neighbors were injured. A court date of Feb. 25 was assigned.

ILLEGAL ACQUISITION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Demonitate E. Dunkinsel, of Chicago, is accused of illegal acquisition of a controlled substance, and was arrested at 9:05 p.m. Feb. 25, in the 900 block of Willow Road. The pharmacist at a drug store said Dunkinsel called them with a fake prescription for Oxycodone and Pregabalin. The pharmacist said several fake prescriptions had been called in using the same doctor’s name, but in the past, no one has ever picked up the drugs. Officers responded to the store and stood by until Dunkinsel arrived to pick up the drugs. Dunkinsel was charged with illegal acquisition of controlled substance. The court date is set for Feb. 26.

RECOVERED STOLEN AMBULANCE

Joseph L. Skulsky, of Chicago, is accused of felony aggravated possession of a stolen ambulance, criminal trespass to land, and was arrested at 1:06 p.m. Feb. 26, in the 1000 block of Skokie Boulevard. Several officers responded to the area where a stolen private ambulance was seen. Officers located the stolen ambulance in a parking lot and located Skulsky. Prior to finding Skulsky, he tried to hide from the officers in a commercial building in the area. The building’s security told him to leave, but Skulsky kept trying to hide. Once the officers located Skulsky, he still had the ignition keys on him and admitted to driving the stolen ambulance. A court date of Feb. 27 was assigned.

LAST WEEK'S BLOTTER: Man Walks Out Of Woods, Sells Faulty Product — Northbrook PD Blotter

INCIDENTS

PHONE SCAM

A Whitfield Road resident reported at 3:47 p.m. Feb. 21, she had received a phone call from someone posing as her bank representative. The person there had been some fraud on her debit card, and they needed to close the account and send her a new card. When the caller asked for the PIN on the old card, she gave it to them. Soon after hanging up, the complainant noticed a large debit on her account. Her real bank representative was able to block some of the debit, but $2,200 was still missing out of her account.

VANDALISM

A resident in the 600 block of Dunsten Circle reported at 11:41 a.m. Feb. 22, someone had thrown eggs at his house and garage door.

PHONE/COMPUTER SCAM

A resident of The Mews called police at 10:17 a.m. Feb. 23, to report several pop-ups appeared on her computer screen. The messages told her the computer’s security had been compromised, and she needed to call the number listed to fix the issue. When she called the number, two people instructed her to withdraw $16,500 from her bank and deposit it in a Bitcoin ATM at another location. The complainant followed the instructions and advised them when the deposit was complete. When they called her back asking for more money, she knew it was a scam.

BANK FRAUD/IDENTITY THEFT

A Spruce Street resident reported at 10:50 a.m. Feb. 25, he had learned from his bank that someone had illegally taken money out of his account. The bank advised the complainant that someone using his personal information walked into an Indiana bank and created a joint account to transfer his money to that account. The money was then withdrawn and stolen shortly afterward. A total of $101,000 was stolen out of his account.