Online Gamer Shuts Down Family's Wi-Fi, $3,800 In Gift Cards Given To Fake IRS: Wilmette Crime

WILMETTE, IL — The following information is a record of incidents and arrests from the Wilmette Police Department. Readers are reminded that an arrest is not an indication of guilt and criminal charges can be dropped or reduced. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

DUI

Brian McCann, 28, of the 2100 block of Elmwood Avenue in Wilmette, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs after a traffic crash at 8:40 a.m. on June 7. A vehicle travelling westbound on Elmwood Avenue struck a parked car before crossing into the eastbound lane. It then collided with the curb and went over the sidewalk, hitting two trees before returning to the roadway.

Following an investigation, police identified and arrested McCann in connection with the incident. He was also cited for improper lane usage and driving on the sidewalk.

THEFT

Someone stole a Trump and Lincoln mask from the political display of a resident in the 600 block of Lake Avenue, it was reported at 3:38 p.m. on June 10.

IDENTITY THEFT

An online gamer gained access to the credit card account of the mother of a juvenile Wilmette resident sometime between May 9 and June 9. Police were told the credit card information was used to buy gaming currency, and $1140 in fraudulent purchases were made to the account. The thief also shut down the internet of the family on the 1900 block of Birchwood Avenue because the son refused to give him money or gaming currency.

THEFT

A resident of the 300 block of Wilshire Drive East reported that he discovered several pairs of his shoes had gone missing as he prepared to move out from a room he had been renting. He said there were three other people renting rooms in the single-family home but felt that his landlord had been responsible for the theft of his footwear sometime between noon on June 1 and 10 a.m. on June 11.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

Someone broke the windshield of a parked car with a rock on the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard shortly after 7 p.m. on June 9.

FRAUD

A resident of the 1700 block of Washington Avenue purchased $3,800 in gift cards to pay someone purporting to be representing the IRS, police were told. The resident said the fake IRS employee gave instructions to travel to Walmart, buy the gift cards and provide their numbers in order to pay for back taxes. The resident realized it was a scam and reported it to police at 8:35 p.m. on June 9.

THEFT

Between 10 a.m. and 10:36 a.m. on June 8, a Morton Grove resident told police she misplaced her cell phone on Elmwood beach. Beach staff said a woman, described as between 30 and 35 years of age and white, possibly found the missing phone, but they did not have any way to identify her.

THEFT

A green and black Trek mountain bike that had been left unlocked in front of the Panera on the 1100 block of Wilmette was reported stolen at 10:10 p.m. on June 7.

FRAUD

A customer purporting to be called "Shane Drouhard" wrote a personal check $434.30 in order to purchase six items at the Yellow Bird on the 1500 block of Sheridan Road at 5:30 p.m. on May 24. The check bounced from a frozen or blocked account on June 5.

RETAIL THEFT

A pair of boys stole two twelve packs of Heineken from the CVS in the 1500 block of Sheridan Road at 6 p.m. on June 5.

THEFT

As he was playing basketball outside the school, student left his school-owned iPad in a shopping bag hanging from the handlebars of his bicycle, parked near the dumpster at the St. Francis Xavier School, at 3 p.m. on June 5. When he returned to his bicycle at 5 p.m., the iPad had been removed from his bag.

FRAUD

The manager of a restaurant in the 1100 block of Wilmette Avenue reported that someone had gained access to its banking information and unsuccessfully attempted to use that data to make a $1280 purchase on Craiglist at noon on June 3.

IDENTITY THEFT

A resident of the 800 block of Sheridan Road reported that, sometime between April 1 and April 30, someone used the person's personal information to open a credit card through Banco Popular.

THEFT

A white TREK road bike was stolen between 2:45 p.m. on June 3 and 5:15 p.m. on June 5 from the rack of the Metra Station at 722 Green Bay Rd. A Wilmette resident reported someone cut the cable lock to take the bike.

THEFT

A juvenile stole a $35 video game from Heritage Trail Antique Mall in the 400 block of Ridge Road on May 31, police were told.

IDENTITY THEFT

A resident of the 1000 block of Elmwood Avenue reported that an unknown offender gained access to her personal information on May 1, opened a Kay Jewelers account and fraudulently purchased $4,200 worth of merchandise.

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