Teens Spot Public Masturbater: Wilmette Crimes

WILMETTE, IL — The following information comes from the Wilmette Police Department. An arrest is not an indication of guilt, and criminal charges are often dropped or reduced. Everyone is presumed innocent until their guilt is established by a court of law.

THEFT (TRUMP FLAGS, MASKS)

Sometime between 10:45 p.m. and 12:16 a.m. on Thursday night (May 25-26) a caller on the 600 block of Lake Avenue reported someone had stolen two Trump flags and three masks of U.S. presidents from his property.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT (MASTURBATION)

Two 16-year-old girls reported seeing a naked man masturbating on a grassy area near the I-94 off ramp on the north side of Lake Avenue around 3:10 p.m. on May 25. The offender was described as a white man in his 20's or 30's.

Also on May 25, a 15-year-old girl said she saw a man masturbating by the water near the bridge around 3:20 p.m. as she walked with a friend southbound in the 0-100 block of Happ Road. The man was described as white, between 20 and 30 years old, with short dark hair, a thin build, and wearing jeans with a blue shirt.

SUSPENDED LICENSE

A 49-year-old Wilmette man, of the 300 block of Wilshire Drive East, was arrested for having a suspended license at 8:09 a.m. on May 25.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE

Between 5:30 p.m. on May 24 and 9:20 a.m. on May 25, someone damaged the exterior light fixtures on a property in the 2800 block of Blackhawk.

Between 10 p.m. on May 24 and 8:15 a.m. on May 25, someone damaged an exterior light fixture that was mounted on top of a fence post on the 900 block of Romona Road.

Between 6 p.m. on May 24 and 6 a.m. on May 25, someone damaged an address sign of a residence on the 1000 block of Romona Road. The sign was found at another address.

Between 3 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. on May 25, someone damaged glass panels on a light post on the a property on the 1000 block of Romona Road.

FRAUD (DECEPTION)

After a man posted his 1961 Studebaker Lark for sale on an internet classified ad, he was contacted by a potential buyer. The buyer agreed to buy the car for $10,000 and sent the man a check for $27,000.34. The seller deposited the check, and the buyer asked the man to return the $14,700 in "overpayment." The check was fraudulent and the man's account was subsequently overdrawn. The incident was reported at 9:21 p.m. on May 23 by a Wilmette resident who identified herself as the man's mother.

DUI ARREST

Charles J. Sojka, 40 of the 1700 block of East Cork Tree in Mount Prospect, was arrested on May 22 at 12:27 a.m. after police pulled him over for a minor traffic violation on the 4000 block of Lake and he showed signs of impairment.

THEFT (OF BIKE)

Between 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on May 22, a victim reported that someone had cut the cable lock and stole his black Scott-brand hybrid bicycle valued at $600 from the Metra station on the 700 block of Green Bay Road.

THEFT (OF CHANGE)

Around 7 p.m. on May 21, police were called to the Kriser's Feeding Pets for Life in the 3200 block of Lake Avenue for a theft report. A man described as 45-year-old to 55-year-old and white brought two balls to the counter and gave the employee a $100 bill. He told the employee that he wanted to buy the two balls and also needed change. While the employee's back was turned the man grabbed both the $100 bill and the $91 in change, as well as the two balls, and fled out the door southbound.

IDENTITY THEFT

A resident of the 2100 block of Beechwood Avenue reported that between 2 p.m. on May 20 and 2 p.m. on May 21 someone used their personal information to transfer $1,600 from his online banking and then tried to transfer $4,000 from his saving account. The transaction was blocked before it was completed.

THEFT (OF KAYAK)

A resident of the 1600 block of Sheridan reported that between April 24 at 9 a.m. and May 21 at 5 p.m. a victim reported that someone took a two-person kayak that had been secured with bungee cords to the fence at the northeast part of the property.

THEFT (OF BIKE)

Sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on May 17, someone reportedly stole a locked bicycle from the bike rack at the Metra station on the 700 block of Green Bay Road.

THEFT (FROM HOME)

Sometime between April 13 and May 17, a resident of the 2000 block of Greenwood Avenue reported that two pieces of jewelry, a gold diamond ring and a Tiffany diamond, were missing from her home in addition to two pairs of Ray Bans sunglasses. The reported losses totaled $5,500.

IDENTITY THEFT

A resident of the 2400 block of Kenilworth Avenue reported that someone opened Menards credit card in his name in Indiana between May 9 and May 17.

DUI

Cynthia Craig, 60, of the 400 block of South Cleveland in Arlington Heights, was arrested shortly after 7 a.m. on May 17 and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and improper lane usage after police responded to the area of Lake Avenue and Laramie Avenue for a report of an intoxicated driver.

STOLEN VEHICLE FOUND

Police found a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of Eden's Plaza near Bed Bath and Beyond around 11:45 a.m. on May 15. The vehicle had been stolen out of Chicago earlier that morning.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE (TO SCHOOL)

Police responded to the 900 Central for a report that someone had splashed paint on the south wall and two doors of Central School over prior weekend (May 12-15).

FRAUD

At 8 a.m. on May 15, a resident of the 2000 block of Beechwood reported that someone had made a withdrawal of $6,500 to Health Equity. The victim contacted their bank and Health Equity regarding the incident and both said the money would be put back into his account.

(ATTEMPTED MATTRESS) FRAUD

At 8:10 p.m. on May 15, an employee of the Mattress Firm on the 3200 block of Lake Avenue reported that there were two people in the store who had tried to use a fraudulent credit card that had been flagged by corporate security. By the time police arrived, the offenders had left the scene.

(CHECK) FRAUD

A resident of the 1300 block of Gregory Avenue, reported that someone altered and cashed a personal check in Chicago for $250 that had been written for $25 between May 11 and May 15.

FRAUD

A resident of the 1000 block of Illinois Road reported that someone applied for a credit card using his personal information between Dec. 18 of last year and May 16. The card was cancelled and a fraud alert was set up.

RETAIL THEFT (FAKE RETURNS)

The store manager of the Walgreens on the 3200 block of Lake Avenue reported that the same suspect had been in the store on three separate occasions between April 2 and April 30 and returning suspected stolen merchandise for cash.

IDENTITY THEFT

Sometime between April 23 and April 27, a caller on the 1600 block of Greenwood reported that someone had charged $500 to his MasterCard account.

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