Sadly, So Many Things to Steal and So Many Ways to Steal Them

Burglary

Someone broke into a home on the 200 block of West Butterfield Road between 11:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. June 3. The burglar entered the home through an unlocked service door in the attached garage and stole about $500 in jewelry.

Fraud

Someone fraudulently used personal information to purchase a 2007 BMW from Elmhurst BMW, 466 W. Lake St., last October. The vehicle was shipped to California, but no payments have been made on the car. The dealership reported the fraud to police on June 7.

Theft Arrest

Barbara Lawson, 41, 566 S. Sunnyside, Elmhurst, was arrested and charged with retail theft after an incident at Enzee Boutique, 140 N. York Road, at 3:47 p.m. June 7. The store manager reportedly recognized Lawson from a previous retail theft in 2007. The manager told police Lawson put a dress in her purse and walked into a fitting room. Officers were waiting for her when she exited the store, and she reportedly told them she decided against stealing the dress. The store owner signed a complaint, and Lawson was released on I-bond.

Theft

Someone took two Phonak Microear devices from office A259 at York High School, 355 W. St. Charles Road, between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. May 31. Loss is estimated at $1,200.

Someone took an iPod Touch worth $300 and $50 in cash from a purse at Ben Allison Park, West and Surf streets, between 7:30 and 7:40 p.m. June 4.

Someone stole a wallet containing credit cards, IDs and $600 from a locker at Smalley Pool, 665 S. York Road, between 6 and 6:22 p.m. June 5.

Someone attempted to steal a Weber charcoal grill from the storage area of an apartment complex on the 100 block of Fellows Court at 7:01 p.m. June 5. The victim said he was contacted by a neighbor who said a man in his 30s attempted to steal the grill. The suspect told the neighbor someone sold him the grill for $20. He left the grill and walked onto the 300 block of South West Avenue.

Someone stole a wallet containing a drivers license, gift cards and credit cards from a child’s stroller at the train depot, 128 W. First Street, between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. June 4. The victim noticed six unauthorized transactions totaling $667.85.

Someone broke into Thatcher Oaks Awnings, 718 Industrial Drive, between 1:30 p.m. June 4 and 5:25 a.m. June 6 and removed about $2,000 worth of power tools and equipment. The supervisor told police that two pressure washers that were locked together were taken from the bed of his truck. The lock had been cut. Two water hoses that were fastened to one of the pressure washers also were cut. A utility door on top of a second truck also had been forced open, and a generator was stolen. A metal bar across the doors to the storage area, which contained various power tools, also was bent to gain access.

A patient at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, 200 N. Berteau, told police her $4,000 hearing aids were either misplace or stolen between June 5 and 6 during her hospital stay. She said she took them out when she went to bed, and when she woke up in the morning, they were gone.

Someone stole a black shoulder bag containing a $100 cell phone, a $200 iPod Touch, a $40 portable iPod speaker and $15 Sony earbuds from the skate park, York and Cayuga, between 6:30 and 7:10 p.m. June 7.

Identity Theft

A resident of the 200 block of North Glenview at 10:20 a.m. June 3 told police someone opened a credit card account using the victim’s information and charged $5,000.

A resident of the 400 block of Poplar told police her identity had been stolen and her email accounts had been hacked. The offender reportedly accessed her address book and sent emails to her friends requesting they send money via Western Union to an address in London. Her friends sent the money.

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.