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Robbery

Friday, December 7, 2012

Court Watch: Murder-for-Hire, Sexual Exploitation of Teens, Pipe Bomb Plot

Here's a look at some major DuPage County court cases, including a former Wheaton man charged with hiring a fellow inmate to kill two public officials and two others, and a Naperville man's sexual exploitation trial.

Wheaton: A judge ruled that DuPage prosecutors used an improper tactic to bring a murder-for-hire suspect in for questioning. However, Judge George Bakalis decided the information obtained in the interview, and ultimately the charges filed against Gordon Vanderark, would have been no different if the tactic had not been used, records show. Vanderark is charged with trying to hire a fellow prison inmate to kill a DuPage County Judge and assistant state's attorney tied to a previous felony conviction that landed Vanderark in prison. Prosecutors used a confidential source to learn about Vanderark's plan and set up a "ruse" hearing on an unrelated issue to have Vanderark brought back from the Centralia Correctional Center.  Once in DuPage, …

In this Article:

Inmate Allegedly Solicited Murder of Two Public Officials (in Wheaton Patch), Prosecutors Deny Violating Murder For Hire Suspect's Rights (in Wheaton Patch), Murder-for-Hire Suspect Wants Statements Barred (in Wheaton Patch), and 8 more ›

Friday, November 9, 2012

Man Punched in the Face by Robber, and Woman Steals Car From 'Friend' After Night of Partying

Also, $100,000 in refrigerators stolen from Larch Avenue business.

A male was punched in the face after two men asked him for money at Park and Fairlane at 5 p.m. Nov. 3. The victim told police he was approached by a black male about 20 years old with dread locks and a white male about 20 years old with a buzz cut. When he told them he didn't have any money, he was punched and his cell phone stolen, police said. The suspects fled on foot. Jerry Haynes, 33, 233 S. 29th St., Bellwood, was tased by police after he allegedly lunged aggressively at a police officer while "highly intoxicated" on the 400 block of Avery at 6:26 a.m. Nov. 6. He was taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital for a psychological evaluation and charged with aggravated assault. A woman who went out drinking with a "friend" she only knows as…

Billy Joel

5:53 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012

actually Ella, it was two thugs out robbing kids of their cell phones. Had nothing to do with panhandling.   more ›

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Man Approached by Gunman at Elmhurst Restaurant

Victim hands over $100; police set up a perimeter and search the area with dogs.

UPDATE 10:15 p.m. Saturday: Elmhurst police were not able to locate the suspect. They have given up their search. UPDATE 9:45 p.m. Saturday: Elmhurst police searched the Superior Ambulance property, 395 W. Lake St., and the dog indicated the suspect jumped the fence and headed northbound. EARLIER: A victim was approached by a man with a gun as he sat in his car near Elmhurst Family Restaurant, 441 W. Lake St., at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, according to reports coming over the police radio. The victim said he was sitting in his car when a Hispanic man with a red shirt or bandana covering his face approached the car, showed him a handgun and ordered him to hand over all his money. The victim gave the man about $100 in cash, then headed to the…

Robert

9:44 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A hotel across the street, a busy ambulance building within view and the restaurant right there. This story is fishy and vague at best. Park in front of any of those buildings, in their light. No, Ill drive a half mile away for help. Robbery victims lose their entire wallet or purse, not 'about $100'.   more ›

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Elmhurst Police Report Theft, Burglary, Fraud

Incidents reported through Jan. 17.

Residential Burglary Someone entered a foreclosed house on the 300 block of Huntington Lane between 5 p.m. Jan. 10 and 9 a.m. Jan. 11 and took $500 in tools. Credit Card Taken Someone used credit cards at several locations in Elmhurst without the permission of the cardholder. The victim said his wallet was taken between 12:50 and 4 p.m. Jan. 11 in Bloomingdale. Burglary to Vehicle Someone broke out the front passenger window on a black Toyota Corolla parked on the 100 block of East Lake Street between 2:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 12:15 p.m. Jan. 14. A Sony in-dash CD player-radio was taken. Someone removed the driver side airbag from the steering column of a 2008 Saturn Outlook parked at Howard Pontiac, 364 W. Grand Ave., between 3:30 p.m. Jan. …

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Woman Approached by Man Demanding Money

Man escapes by car down West Avenue after stealing her backpack.

A woman reportedly was approached by a man who told her to give him money as she was leaving her vehicle after parking it at Elmhurst Terrace Apartments, 493 W. St. Charles Road, on Jan. 15. The woman told police she parked her car in her assigned space in the lot at 10:55 a.m. and was about to exit when a man came running up to her and told her to give him money. After the woman told him she only had $5 in cash, he grabbed the backpack from the back seat of her vehicle and fled to another parked car in the lot. He drove out of the lot onto West Avenue. The area was checked but police could not locate the vehicle. The $40 backpack contained a purse worth $40, her drivers license, $5 in cash, a $214 IPOD, a $100 cell phone, a credit card …

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Commercial Burglars Leave a Flood in Their Wake

Mission Impossible-style robbery is under investigation.

Passersby may have noticed some commotion Sunday morning, Jan. 16, near the intersection of North and West avenues as Elmhurst police responded to what they thought might be a water main break. At 9:10 a.m., police saw water in the road on West Avenue and in the rear driveway of Rosticeria Restaurant, 522 W. North Ave. The water was coming from the rear southeast corner of the restaurant, where there is a door leading to a utility closet. The owner opened the door to the utility room, where the restaurant’s water heater and alarms are located. Police noticed a copper pipe had been ripped out of the water heater, and water was leaking out of it. Police reported someone had made a hole in the wall directly behind the water heater large …

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