Northbrook Crime: Florida Men Snatch Shirts, Champagne Switcheroo

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

RETAIL THEFT

Two Florida men were arrested for shoplifting from the Saks Off Fifth on the 100 block of Skokie Highway around 5 p.m. on April 20. Gerald A. Espinoza-Munoz, 22, and Luis M. Brito-Rosado, 29, both of Miami, Florida, allegedly removed seven shirts from the rack and put them into a bag. The pair then walked from the store to a red van with out of state license plates. An officer, responding to the theft, saw the vehicle heading westbound on Lake Cook Rd from Revere Dr. While pulling over the van, the officer saw one of its occupants throw a bag from the window onto the roadway. Police pulled over the vehicle, arrested both men, and recovered a bag containing the $1319 worth of stolen merchandise from the roadway.

THEFT

An employee of a hardware store on the 1900 block of Cherry Lane reported that in March the store rented two floor sanders to a man who told them he was doing work locally at a residence and would need the equipment for approximately four hours. Neither the equipment nor the phone calls from the store were returned, and police continue to investigate.

DWLS

A 25-year-old Chicago man was arrested after police saw him commit a traffic violation around 11:30 p.m. on April 25 at Dundee Road and Western Avenue. After checking his identity, officers found his license to be suspended. He was placed under arrest, processed and released after posting bond.

THEFT

At 4:17 p.m. on April 26, an employee of the Knightsbridge Winery on the 800 block of Sunset Ridge Road reported discovering a $2500 bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne missing in a display box near the rear of the business, with another bottle having been placed into the box to conceal the theft. The store employee was unable to give a time frame for when the bottle may have been replaced.

BURGLARY

On April 26, a victim reported her son arrived home from school at approximately 3 p.m and found the master bedroom and his bedroom had been ransacked. In checking, he discovered that some money was missing from his wallet that was in his bedroom. Police did not find any sign of forced entry to the residence but discovered the rear kitchen door was unlocked. The burglary occurred between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from the home on the 1700 block of Ferndale Avenue. Police said it appears that approximately $300 was taken from a wallet in the victim’s son’s bedroom.