Multiple Cases of ID Theft: College Account Cleaned Out—and Then Some

Identity Theft

A resident of the 900 block of South Hawthorne told police someone used her Chase Bank college checking account without her knowledge between March 14 and 27. The account now has a negative balance of $8,946.75 and has been frozen by Chase.

A resident told police at 7:48 p.m. April 2 that when her accountant attempted to file her federal taxes, a return already had been filed in her name.

Someone purchased a Kia Optima from Ed Napleton Kia, 727 W. Grand Ave., using a fraudulent identity. The incident was reported at 10:44 a.m. April 3.

Elmhurst police assisted state officials in apprehending David Brown, 25, 656 E. 159th Place, South Holland, after he allegedly arrived at a predetermined location to obtain a bank debit card and PIN number belonging to a victim. At 1:42 p.m. April 3, Elmhurst police pulled over Brown's vehicle and discovered he also was wanted for failure to appear out of DeKalb County. He was taken to DuPage County Jail.

A resident of the 600 block of Berkley told police someone successfully opened two credit card accounts and attempted to open a third in her name on March 30.

A resident of the 600 block of South Berkley told police someone used his wife's debit card number to make four unauthorized withdrawals totaling $1,109.71 between March 2 and 16. The theft was reported at 8:43 p.m. April 3.

Retail Theft Arrests

Joshua T. Cooney, 22, 2008 N. 18th St., Melrose Park, was arrested and charged with retail theft after he allegedly was seen taking T-shirts and walking past the point of sale at Kohl's, 303 S. Route 83, at 11:28 a.m. April 1. He was released on bond.

Elizabeth Skrzypek, 59, 17W130 Oak Meadows Drive, Bensenville, was arrested and charged with retail theft after police said she stole $247.02 worth of women's clothing from Kohl's, 303 S. Route 83, at 6:37 p.m. April 3. She was released on I-bond.

Burglary

A man told police that while he was in county jail, between 3:57 a.m. and 10 p.m. March 21, his apartment was robbed. He said he believes his brother entered his unlocked apartment and stole his TV. He also provided the names of several other people who had been in the residence. An investigation is pending.

Copper piping was stolen from the Mariano's construction site, 678 N. York St., it was reported at 5:30 p.m. March 28. The company was installing coolers and refrigerated units that use copper piping.

Stolen Vehicle

Someone stole a white Mercury Sable from a parking lot on the 900 block of Virginia between 11:16 p.m. March 24 and 12:30 a.m. March 29.

Theft

A ring was stolen from a bedroom of a home on the first bock of Birch Tree Court between noon March 26 and 3 p.m. March 27. The ring had an 18-karat gold band with a large, white pearl worth $1,500.

Someone was discovered with bolt cutters at the train station, 128 W. First St., at 7:54 p.m., March 29. Police spoke with the individual, who was suspected in some other bike thefts in the area, police said. No arrest was made.

Sixteen Fisher record players worth $500 were taken from a vehicle parked on the 200 block of West Lake Street between 11 p.m. March 30 and 3 p.m. April 1. The passenger window was smashed. Damage to the window is estimated at $200.

About $400 worth of clothing was taken from a vehicle parked on the driveway of a home on the 400 block of East Church Street between 1 and 6 a.m. April 1. The vehicle was unlocked.

Property Damage

A rock was used to shatter the rear window of a vehicle parked on the 900 block of South Mitchell between 6:15 and 11:50 p.m. March 27. It was the fourth time the victim's vehicles have been damaged, police said. Damage is estimated at $429.

A number of residents reported to police that "WP" was spray-painted in black letters on their property between 9 p.m. March 29 and 6:45 p.m. March 30. The following was reported.

• 100 block of W. Jackson (three homes), damage on overhead garage door. Estimated cleanup is $50 for each incident.
• 100 block of East Jackson, vehicle trunk, no estimate of damage given
• 800 block of Cambridge, overhead garage door, $50
• 800 block of South Washington, wooden fence, $50
• 800 block of South Mitchell, fence, $200
• 800 block of South Chatham, public sidewalk, no estimate of damage given

Someone spray-painted in black the letters "RANR" and "WIZ" on the east wall of the Myrtle Avenue underpass between 11 a.m. March 29 and 3 p.m. March 31.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to contact karenc@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.