Vet Threat; Computer Crimes; 'Disheveled' DUI Driver: Blotters

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

ONLINE FRAUD
A Harbor Street resident reported on Dec. 8 that someone racked up $3,100 in unauthorized charges after they were able to compromise a credit card through a video game platform. The card had been linked to the platform through Apple iTunes, and the resident is seeking reimbursement from the credit card company.

HARASSMENT VIA TEXT
A Wentworth Avenue resident reported on Dec. 10 that an unidentified person had sent him threatening text messages.

GIFT CARD SCAM
A Skokie Ridge Drive resident reported on Dec. 10 that an unidentified caller had tricked them into providing personally identifying information for some kind of subscription service. The resident was duped into purchasing an unspecified amount of gift cards before realizing it was a scam.

KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS

IDENTITY THEFT
After receiving an unexpected collections notice, a Warwick Road resident reported on Dec. 8 that someone had fraudulently opened a line of credit using their personal information with Comenity Bank and charged $977 to it back in July 2019.

NORTHFIELD

INCIDENTS

THREAT FROM PATRON
Staff at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital, 820 W. Frontage Road, reported getting a threatening phone call from an unsatisfied customer on the morning of Dec. 9. The employees requested police provide an additional watch at the business.

CHECK FRAUD
An employee of an unspecified business at 400 Central Ave. reported on the afternoon of Dec. 9 that someone had fraudulently deposited a check in September.

THEFT FROM HOME
A resident in the 100 block of Sterling Lane reported on the morning of Dec. 10 that an unspecified item was missing from their home following some housework. The property was reported to be worth less than $100.

DAMAGED WINDOWS
Four windows were damaged by unknown causes in the 300 block of Maple Road between about 2 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10.

POSSIBLE SCAM
A Norfork Road resident reported on the evening of Dec. 12 that they conducted some kind of transaction earlier that day on a suspicious website that purported to be associated with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Global Entry program.

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

WILMETTE

INCIDENTS

PORCH PIRACY
A resident in the 600 block of Knox Avenue reported on Dec. 3 that someone had removed the contents of a recently delivered package.

TOOL THEFT
A subcontractor painting the outside of a condominium building at 1825 Wilmette Ave. reported on Dec. 5 that someone had stolen several of his tools between Nov. 18 and Nov. 24.

COUNTERFEIT CASH
An employee at Aka Hana Restaurant, 3232 Lake Ave., reported on Dec. 8 that an unidentified customer had paid for a meal using a fake $100 bill.

BIKE THEFTS

• Someone stole a black and blue Trek 820 mountain bike that had been left unlocked at the bike rack at Wilmette Jr. High, 620 Locust Road, on or before Dec. 3.
• A resident in the 1900 block of Wilmette Avenue reported that a family member's bicycle had been stolen from a storage room.

ONLINE FRAUDS

• A Washington Avenue resident reported on Dec. 3 that they had been scammed by someone purporting to sell an item online. The "seller" stopped responding after the resident provided a $100 "deposit" via Google Pay.
• A Greenleaf Avenue resident reported she was scammed via a Nov. 18 email that claimed to be from a representative of "Norton Security" who offered to install a new firewall. The scammer convinced the resident to hand over access to the computer, and the scammer was then able to transfer an unspecified amount of money from different financial accounts belonging to the resident.

BATTERYS

• An employee at Clucker's Chicken, 1515 Sheridan Road, reported on Dec. 3 that a co-worker had inappropriately touched her.
• An officer spoke to a woman who was dropped off a the Walgreens, 3232 Lake Ave., on Dec. 5 and noticed that she appeared intoxicated. The woman told police that the man who was driving the car that she had just exited was an ex-boyfriend who had just battered her. She was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released to a relative.

ARRESTS

Carolina Espinoza, 53, of the 300 block of 71st Street in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was arrested around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 4 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop in the 900 block of Sheridan Road. Espionza agreed to provide blood and urine samples at the hospital. She was also issued a citation for disregarding a traffic control device.

Genevieve Mills, 46, of the 2500 block of Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette, was arrested around 10 p.m. on Dec. 4 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop in the 2200 block of Lake Avenue. Mills refused breath testing at the station. Officers also issued her citations for improper lane usage and no proof of insurance.

Aziz Rostamali, 47, of the 7200 block of North Damen Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and charged with felony DUI after officers got a call about an old van driving all over the road. Police reported seeing the van driving significantly below the speed limit and pulled him over in the 1000 block of Skokie Boulevard. Officers found Rostamali inside the van, describing him as disheveled, with blood and vomit on his shirt and multiple signs of impairment.

Rostamali, who at the time of his arrest was on a recognizance bond while awaiting trial on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, tested negative for alcohol and declined to submit urine and blood samples. He was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol — due to picking up a DUI while his license is suspended — driving under the influence of drugs and driving with a suspended license. He was also issued a citation for improper lane usage.

WINNETKA

INCIDENTS

HOME BURGLARY
Someone stole more than $5,000 worth of jewelry after getting into a secured home in the 1300 block of Westmoor Terrace at some point between Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• A Glen Oak Drive resident reported on Dec. 6 that someone had altered a check they had mailed earlier before cashing it, leading to a loss of more than $3,260.
• A Willow Road resident reported on Dec. 7 that they discovered a day earlier that someone had used their identity to open up an unauthorized line of credit at some point.
• A Westwood Terrace resident reported on Dec. 10 that someone had used their identity to make an unauthorized $40 purchase on their credit card.

ARRESTS

Loren Austin-Chewing, 27, of the 7600 block of North Sheridan Road, Chicago, was issued a trespassing citation in the 400 block of Winnetka Avenue after officers were dispatched to a report of an unwanted person there.

Earlier: Paintballs Fired At Kids; DUI Driver Calls 911 On Self: New Trier Area Police Blotters, Nov. 18 to Dec. 8

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