Resident Wires $49K To Haiti, Guyana In Scam: 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

NO VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE

Albert Paredes-Hernandez, of Palatine, is accused of improper lane usage, no valid driver's license, illegal transportation of alcohol, and was arrested at 7:01 p.m. Jan. 17, at Dundee Road and Skokie Boulevard. Police had stopped a car driven by Paredes-Hernandez for swerving out of its lane. During the subsequent traffic stop, police reportedly found a 1.75 liter of vodka from the passenger area. A court date of Feb. 7 was assigned.

FAILURE TO APPEAR IN COURT

Mark Joseph, of Northbrook, had an active warrant out of Cook County for failure to appear in court on assault charges, and was arrested at 4:35 p.m. Jan. 23.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Sergio Guzman-Rico, of Palatine, is accused of improper lane usage, driving under the influence, open transportation of alcohol, and was arrested at 7:24 p.m. Jan. 23, at Waukegan and Willow roads. A court date of Feb. 27 was assigned.

LAST WEEK'S BLOTTER: Stolen Plates Racks Up Traffic Tickets — Northbrook PD Blotter

INCIDENTS

STOLEN VEHICLE

A resident in the 2300 block of Salceda Drive reported at 7:38 a.m. Jan. 17, someone had stolen her 2017 silver Infiniti while it was parked in the driveway. The complainant claimed the vehicle had been locked and she still had both keys in her possession. The vehicle was picked up on various license plate cameras in Chicago and Wheeling after it was stolen.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

A jewelry business inside a shopping mall in the 1500 court of Lake Cook Road reported at 1:22 p.m. Jan. 17, several pieces of jewelry stolen during the overnight hours. The owner said he noticed the crime when he arrived the next day and the display cases had been disturbed. The owner said over $2,000 of jewelry had been stolen from the business.

FORGERY

A resident of the 400 block of Huehl Road called police at 2:15 p.m. Jan. 17, one of his personal checks was stolen during a recent move. He didn't know how anyone was able to gain access to his checkbook, but a check made out in the amount of $700 had been stolen and his name was forged on the check.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD

• A Christina Lane resident reported at 3:26 p.m. Jan. 17, receiving an email confirming his purchase of Disneyland tickets in the amount of $953.20. The complainant said he never purchased any tickets and someone illegally gained access to his bank debit card. The complainant contacted his bank to freeze the account and notify them of the fraudulent activity.
• A Whitfield Road resident reported at 6:04 p.m. Jan. 18, told police his father had passed away in 2024. While reviewing his father's credit card statements before closing the account, he noticed fraudulent charges in the summer and fall of 2024. The charges were from several online businesses and had the products delivered to a Chicago address that he was not familiar with. The charges were over $2,000.

FLEEING AND ELUDING

Police saw a dark-colored coupe driving in front of them at 2:02 a.m. Jan. 18, at Shermer and Willow roads. The vehicle lost control and started sliding on the roadway. The officer activated his emergency lights to stop the vehicle. The vehicle quickly accelerated and fled from the officer. The vehicle got up to 120 mph in a 40 mph zone while fleeing from the officer. The vehicle was last seen fleeing out of Northbrook.

PHONE SCAM

An Oak Knoll Court resident reported at 2:37 p.m. Jan. 18, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be from his bank. The person said there had been fraudulent activity on his credit account. The caller knew the complainant's social security number and home address. The person asked for the complainant's debit card number and CCV number on the back of the card. After the complainant provided that information, the caller gave him information on how to follow up with the fraud. Later, the complainant noticed there were two fraudulent activities on his bank account. There were two wire transfers in the amounts of $20,000 and $29,000 to Haiti and Guyana respectively.

ONLINE THEFT
A Bayberry Drive resident reported at 11:12 a.m. Jan. 21, someone had accessed his bank account and stole 800,000 reward points. The complainant didn't know how the account was accessed or what the offender used them for.

HARASSING PHONE CALLS

The staff at a business in the 2300 block of Shermer Road reported at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 22, receiving over 75 phone calls from an unknown person. Every time the staff received the call, the caller hung up. All the phone calls came from various phone numbers with Chicagoland prefixes. The staff did not know why the harassing phone calls were occurring.