$250,000 Scam; Aggravated Battery Arrest; BMW SUV Stolen: Blotter

WINNETKA, IL — The following information comes from the Glencoe, Winnetka and Northfield police departments as a record of police activity and incidents reported to the police. Criminal charges represent merely accusations by the state and are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Anyone arrested is innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WINNETKA

INCIDENTS

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
Someone used an unknown object to damage one of the wooden pews at Sacred Heart Parish, 1077 Tower Road. The repair costs were not known at the time of the report.

GIFT CARD SCAM
A resident in the 600 block of Willow Road reported that they gave $200 in gift cards to someone claiming to be a church employee between 7:15 and 8:30 a.m. on July 3.

CAR BURGLARIES

• Someone burglarized an unlocked construction van between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on July 3 in the 1000 block of Hubbard Road, stealing a wallet with various cards inside for a $25 loss.
• Someone stole $10 in cash from one of four unlocked vehicles burglarized in the 1200 block of Cherry Street at some point prior to 2:15 a.m. on July 15.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• A Willow Road resident reported someone used their identity to buy $124 worth of train tickets and tried to make a purchase at a Walmart before the transactio was declined between noon on July 30 and noon on July 1.
• A Hawthorn Lane resident reported on July 12 that someone had used their identity on June 28 and June 29 to open up a savings account with Wells Fargo and an ATM card. An attempted cash transfer was declined.
• A Garland Avenue resident reported someone used their identity to open up a Comcast account and accrue $330 in unauthorized charges between June 1, 2017, and Jan. 20, 2019.

THEFTS

• Someone stole a decorative wooden sign from a corner post in the area of Trapp Lane and Hibbard Road between 7 p.m. on July 1 and noon on July 2 for a loss of $1,180.
• Someone stole an unlocked bicycle between 3:45 and 4:20 p.m. on July 5 from the 100 block of Bertling Lane. Taken with it was various items including computers and identity cards. The loss was not known at the time of the report.
• Someone stole an unattended iPhone from the running track at New Trier High School between 6:30 and 7:45 a.m. on July 9. The phone was tracked to an intersection in Northbrook and found intact.
• Two flags were stolen from the outside of a home in the 1000 block of Sheridan Road between noon on July 4 and 6 p.m. on July 6 for a loss of $20.
• Someone stole a decorative wooden street sign from a corner post in the area of White Oak Lane and Willow Road between 8 p.m. July 2 and 4 p.m. July 3.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

A 42-year-old Glencoe man was issued a municipal citation for petty theft after officers investigated a report that a shoplifting had just occurred at the Walgreens, 925 Green Bay Road.

A 50-year-old Winnetka man was arrested around 10:30 p.m. on July 8 at a residence in the first block of Abbotsford Road and charged with aggravated battery in connection with a report of a battery that had recently occurred there. The charge was later dropped and expunged.

A 24-year-old Palatine man was arrested at 1:45 a.m. on July 22 in the area of Scott Avenue and Green Bay Road and charged with driving without a valid license. He was also issued citations for improper display of a license plate sticker, operation of an uninsured motor vehicle and illegal transportation of alcohol.

GLENCOE

INCIDENTS

IDENTITY THEFTS

• An Elm Place resident reported on July 3 that someone used their identity to file a tax return.
• An Old Elm Lane resident reported on July 3 that someone cashed three checks against their account for a total of over $700.
• Someone tried to buy cars using the identity of a Bluff Street resident, a Jefferson Avenue Resident and a Vernon Avenue resident at some point prior to the afternoon of July 11. All three sales was terminated.

THEFTS

• Someone stole two beach chairs worth $200 from a driveway in the 600 block of Longwood Avenue, police were told around 10 p.m. on July 3.
• A Fuji bicycle worth $1,180 was stolen from the 700 block of Old Green Bay Road after someone cut the cable lock at some point prior to 7:15 p.m. on July 11.
• Someone stole a street sign worth less than $150 from the area of Randolph Street and Woodlawn Avenue, police discovered at 3:53 a.m. on July 12.

GIFT CARD SCAM
A scammer tricked a Kelling Lane resident into believing they were a friend asking to buy iTunes gift cards and asking to be sent photos showing the numbers of the cards. The resident learned it was a scam after sending $400.

ONLINE BOOKING SCAM
A Strawberry Hill Drive resident reported on July 6 they were ticketed by scammers they contacted through the website Booking.com into buying $2,480 worth of gift cards.

AGGRAVATED FLEEING AND ELUDING POLICE

• Police tried to conduct a traffic stop around 4:30 p.m. on July 7 in the 600 block of Vernon Avenue on a vehicle with improperly displayed license plates. The driver stopped for a moment and then fled the scene, breaking multiple traffic laws in the process.
• A driver fled police at 2:45 a.m. on July 9 in the 600 block of Dundee Road after speeding more than 35 mph over the limit in a construction zone and improperly using lanes.
• A speeding driver in a stolen vehicle fled police around 1:45 a.m. on July 15 in the area of Dundee Road and the Edens Expressway.

CAR BURGLARY
Someone stole a wallet and its contents, including a $100 gift card, two credit cards, a driver's license and a permit to carry a concealed firearm from an unlocked Ford truck in the 900 block of Elm Ridge Drive at some point prior to 9:30 a.m. on July 8.

STOLEN CAR
Someone stole an unlocked BMW SUV from the 100 block of Beach Road prior to about 10 a.m. on July 8.

PROPERTY SCAM
A scammer deceived a Brian Lane resident into wiring $5,146 to a purported lawyer at some point prior to 4:15 p.m. on July 12 in order to close a deal to sell property through a non-existent company called "Excel Title LLC."

SPOUSE SCAM
A scammer managed to deceive a Sycamore Lane resident into wiring them $250,000 at some point prior to 5:30 p.m. on July 9 by sending an email that appeared to come from the resident's spouse. The spoofed spouse was using an email address was was similar — but not exactly the same — as the actual email address when requesting a wire transfer to a specified account and routing number. Police recommended residents confirm all details of such transfers before taking any action.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD
A Greenleaf Avenue resident reported made nearly $4,000 in unauthorized purchases from Saks Fifth Avenue using their credit card.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Jerry C. Cotton Jr., 69, of the 400 block of West 117th Street, Chicago, was arrested around 11 p.m. on July 6 in the area of Green Bay and Lake Cook roads and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater after an officer encountered him on the side of the road with hazard lights on and determined he was impaired. He was also issued a citation for illegal transportation of alcohol.

A 24-year-old Waukegan man was arrested around 11:30 p.m. on July 14 and charged with driving without a license, insurance or front license plate following a traffic stop in the area of Green Bay and Lake Cook roads.

A 31-year-old Chicago man was issued citations for improper lane usage and driving without insurance following a traffic stop at 12:06 a.m. on July 8 in the area of Green Bay Road and Jefferson Avenue. His passenger, a 30-year-old Chicago man, was issued a citation for possession of under 10 grams of cannabis.

A 19-year-old Des Plaines man was pulled over around 8:30 p.m. on July 8 in the area of Chestnut Lane and Forestway Drive and issued citations for possession of cannabis, illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol and driving with a loud muffler.

A 44-year-old Des Plaines woman was issued citations for possession of cannabis and no rear license plate light following a traffic stop in the area of Dundee Road and Vernon Avenue.

Thomas J. Wimbiscus Jr., 18, of the 2200 block of Crabtree Lane, Northbrook, was arrested around 1 a.m. on July 9 and charged with possession of a fraudulent license. He was also issued a citation for disobeying a traffic control device.

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NORTHFIELD

INCIDENTS

THEFT
Someone stole a cover worth about $1,500 from a boat parked in the 1700 block of Harding Road at some point prior to 1 a.m. on July 6.

UNWANTED PERSON
Police were called to a salon in the 200 block of Waukegan Road around 10:15 a.m. on July 6 for a report of a former employee on the property and refusing to leave.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON
A patron at a coffee shop in the 1800 block of Willow Road called police around 5 p.m. on July 10 to report someone had asked to use their cell phone. The person left by the time officers arrived.

CAR BURGLARY
Someone burglarized a car in the 1400 block of Winnetka Road between 9 a.m. and noon on July 17.

IDENTITY THEFT
A Longmeadow Road resident reported on the morning of July 20 that they discovered unauthorized charges on their credit card.

SUSPICIOUS NOISE
Police were called to the 800 block of West Frontage Road around 2:30 a.m. on July 21 for a 911 call reporting a loud noise that may have been gunshots before hearing what sounded like a car speeding away. Officers did not find anything suspicious.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

Michah J. Sapoznick, 39, of the 800 block of Green Bay Road, Winnetka, was arrested around 1 a.m. on July 6 and charged with domestic battery stemming from an incident that occurred at a residence in the 1700 block of Harding Road.

A 34-year-old Chicago man was arrested at 4:30 a.m. on July 7 and charged with driving without a valid license following a traffic stop in the area of Willow Road and the Edens Expressway. He was also ticketed for speeding.

A 27-year-old Chicago man was arrested around 10 a.m. on July 7 and charged with driving without a valid license and expired registration in the area of Willow Road and Eaton Street.

Robert Hanke Jr., 33, of the 2600 block of West Agatite Avenue, Chicago, was arrested at 11:57 p.m. on July 12 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and issued a citation for unsafe equipment following a traffic stop in the 2300 block of Willow Road.

Susana Melchor, 31, of the 3400 block of Fairlawn Drive, Glenview, was arrested around 4:30 a.m. on July 14 in the 100 block of Avon Avenue and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. She was also issued a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Sean E. Johnson, 28, of 7700 block of South Emerald Street, Chicago, was arrested around 11:45 a.m. on July 16 and charged with burglary to motor vehicle and credit card fraud at the Skokie Courthouse after he was arrested by another agency. The charges relate to a April 17 incident in the 500 block of Sunset Ridge Road where Johnson is accused of burglarizing a vehicle before using a credit card stolen from inside to make various unauthorized purchases.

Earlier: Stolen Car Eludes Police; Watermelons Thrown At Doors; Pornographic Website Gift Card Scam; Car Burglar Buys Bitcoin With Stolen Card: Glencoe, Northfield and Winnetka Blotter, June 13–July 3

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