Nativity Figures Smashed; Over $15,000 In Crypto Stolen: Blotters

Editor's Note: One or more names in this report have been redacted in light of additional documentation provided regarding this case.

NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP, IL — The following information comes from the Glencoe, Kenilworth, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka police departments and court records as a record of police activity and incidents reported to the police. Criminal charges merely represent accusations by the state, and county prosecutors often choose to drop or reduce them. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Anyone arrested is innocent unless later proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

GLENCOE

INCIDENTS

FORGERY
A Jackson Avenue resident reported on the afternoon of Jan. 6 that someone had forged four checks worth a combined $10,850 from their bank account. There was no financial loss to the resident.

THEFT
Someone stole $15,000 worth of cryptocurrency after gaining unauthorized access to a cryptocurrency account owned by a Stonegate Terrace resident.

KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
A resident in the 500 block of Exmoor Road reported that someone smashed several figurines in the nativity scene in front of their home, causing about $500 in damage.

For more local news, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts or download the iPhone or Android app.

WILMETTE

INCIDENTS

STOLEN BIKE
Someone stole a Seven custom road bike from an unlocked garage in the 500 block of Washington Avenue on or before Jan. 4.

VANDALISM

• An officer noticed someone had written the letters "IYS" on a sign in the parking lot of the former Treasure Island grocery store at 911 Ridge Road and on the northwest corner of a building in the 500 block of Green Bay Road on Dec. 31. Someone had also written the word "Jarl" at the shuttered store.
• Someone spray-painted three cars parked in a lot in the 200 block of Ridge Road after it was left overnight on Dec. 30. Two of them had "BLM" written on them.

STOLEN CAR FOUND
On Dec. 31, Wilmette police got word from their counterparts in Niles that car stolen from their village had been tracked to the 3100 block of Old Glenview Road in Wilmette via its onboard GPS system. Officers found the car abandoned and heavily damage to its front side.

BOOZE THEFT
Someone stole six alcoholic beverages from a cooler on the back porch of a home in the 800 block of Park Avenue at some point on or before Jan. 5.

SHOPLIFTING
Staff at the Jewel-Osco, 1517 Sheridan Road, reported on Jan. 5 that, at some point, two men in their 30s had stolen unspecified items from the store before leaving in a four-door sedan.

CHECK FRAUD
The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating a fraud report from a resident who mailed an envelope containing a check for the Illinois Department of Revenue on Dec. 30. On Jan. 6, the resident got word from their credit card company that someone else had cashed the check for more than its intended amount.

STOLEN CAR, ARRESTS
Someone stole a Jeep SUV that had been left, possibly unlocked, in the 200 block of Maple Avenue at some point prior to 6 a.m. Jan. 6. At 7 p.m. that night, Wilmette police got a call from their counterparts in Chicago with notification that the stolen car had been found at 6422 N. Sheridan Road, the location of a Target store in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Chicago police said they took five people into custody there, and one of them had a key to the stolen car in his pocket. Police said they were seeking approval from prosecutors to charge the group with possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

ARRESTS

Joshua Garcia, 27, of the 400 block of North Sheridan Road, Waukegan, was arrested on Jan. 6 and charged with felony criminal damage to state-supported land after police identified him as a person who spray-painted graffiti on a train car at the Linden CTA Purple Line station on Nov. 22, 2021.

Jose Lopez, 51, of the 2700 block of North Western Avenue, Chicago, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a valid license following a traffic stop around 7 p.m. on Jan. 5. Officers got a call complaining about a reckless driver and located the vehicle in the 2500 block of Green Bay Road in Evanston. The driver appeared to be impaired and was taken into custody, where he refused to provide a breath sample. Officers also issued him citations for improper lane usage and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver.

WINNETKA

INCIDENTS

CHECK FRAUD

• A Sunset Road resident reported on Jan. 6 that someone had altered a check that had been left in a village deposit box and cashed it between Dec. 26 and Jan. 4. The amount of loss was not known at the time of the report.
• A resident in the 100 block of Linden Street reported that someone altered previously mailed checks between Dec. 25 and Jan. 3 and cashed them for a loss of more than $1,900.

THEFTS

• A resident in the 800 block of Prospect Avenue reported around 4:30 p.m. that someone had stolen a jacket, wallet and headphones from their home at some point between 11 p.m. Dec. 17 and 1 a.m. Dec. 19. Someone later made more than $1,550 in various unauthorized purchases using a debit card that had been kept in the stolen wallet.
• Someone stole the street signs at the intersections of Elder Lane and Church Street, Sunset Road and Church Street, High Street and Winnetka Avenue and Ash Street. Additional street signs at High Street and Winnetka Avenue were damaged for a loss of $1,100..

Earlier: Post Office Mailbox Break-Ins; Check Fraud; Phone Scams: New Trier Area Police Blotters, Dec. 16 to Jan. 5

Stay Patched In!

• Like the Winnetka-Glencoe Patch or Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch on Facebook
• Make a Neighbor Post on the Winnetka-Glencoe Patch or Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch
• Check out the Events Calendar for what’s going on around Glencoe, Northfield and Winnetka
• Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Northfield, Winnetka and Glencoe or Wilmette news
• Patch Mobile: Get the app for iPhone and Android