Two Franklin Park residents in two separate incidents were charged with attempting to pass counterfeit gift certificates at a Brookfield grocery store on Aug. 26.

Brookfield police first responded to Tischler Finer Foods, 9118 Broadway Ave., just after 12:30 p.m. after store personnel called reporting that a man attempted to purchase $91.31 in groceries with seven gift certificates.

According to the report, Christian M. Gillespie, 21, presented one $20 gift certificate and six $10 certificates to a cashier, who determined they were invalid. Gillespie left the store and was apprehended by Brookfield police, who questioned him. Gillespie, who said he received the certificates from a friend named Ray, then became combative and had to be handcuffed. At the station, Gillespie allegedly continued to be abusive toward police and reportedly spit on the bond money used to bail him out before handing it to police. In addition to attempted theft, he was also charged with obstructing a peace officer.

Then just before 5 p.m., police were dispatched to Tischler’s again to respond to a report of a woman attempting to pass counterfeit gift certificates to pay for $94.25 in groceries.

The woman, Mary Urso, 55, allegedly had seven gift certificates in her possession, claiming to have gotten them from an aunt. Police reported that the gift certificates looked to have been photocopied and cut out with scissors. She was charged with attempted theft.

Police so far have not linked the two incidents. Brookfield Lt. Michael Manescalchi said that detectives were still investigating the matter.

Burglary

During the overnight hours of Aug. 25-26 someone entered an unlocked 2005 Ford Explorer parked in the 4200 block of Forest Avenue, Brookfield, and removed CDs from the center console, $5 in change from a cupholder and an automatic garage door opener. Someone also entered an unlocked 1998 Chevy four-door parked at the same address and rifled through the glovebox. Nothing was reported missing from that vehicle.

n During the overnight hours of Aug. 26-27, someone entered an unlocked 1997 Subaru Outback parked in the 3500 block of Forest Avenue, Brookfield, and removed a portable CD player from the dashboard and a small hula girl figurine fastened to the dashboard. The total loss was valued at $38.

n A resident of the 4200 block of Raymond Avenue, Brookfield, reported on Aug. 27 that someone attempted to break into his home. On Aug. 26, the resident said he noticed a broken window on the front porch. A day later, he noticed that the screen of the window had been pushed in, giving access to the porch. No entry was gained to the home, and nothing was reported missing from the porch. The resident noted that his home had been burglarized several months ago, when someone had gained access to the home via a front porch window.

Aggravated assault

A minor traffic accident escalated into a case of aggravated assault when towtruck driver James R. Luhr, 38, of Elmwood Park, allegedly threatened two women with a towing hook during an argument ay 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 28.

According to the report, the victim was traveling southbound in a 1998 Dodge Carryall in the right-turn lane on Harlem Avenue approaching 26th Street. Luhr was driving a 1999 Ford flatbed towtruck southbound on Harlem Avenue, when the Carryall attempted to squeeze into the southbound traffic lane, causing the two cars to collide.

Instead of stopping, however, Luhr reportedly drove off southbound and Riverside police received several 911 calls, including from the driver of the Carryall. The two cars finally pulled over in the 300 block of Cowley Road and Luhr allegedly left his vehicle carrying the heavy metal towing hook to confront the driver of the other vehicle.

Police arrived shortly thereafter and charged Luhr with two counts of aggravated assault for threatening the two female occupants of the Carryall. However, the driver of the Carryall was cited for disobeying a lane control signal.

DUI

Riverside police charged Chicago resident Clifford R. Holman, 31, with driving under the influence after an officer stopped Holman for speeding while northbound on First Avenue near Forest Avenue at 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 28.

According to the report, Holman’s 1999 Ford Expedition was traveling 52 mph in a 35 mph zone. While the officer was talking to Holman, he reported that Holman appeared intoxicated and also observed open alcohol in the vehicle.

After failing field sobriety tests, Holman reportedly blew a .083 on the Breathalyzer, just over the legal limit of .08. He was also cited for speeding and illegal transport of open alcohol.

Theft

Sometime between 6 p.m. on Aug. 27 and 2 p.m. on Aug. 28, someone removed a black Charbroil propane gas grill, valued at $200, from the backyard of a home in the 4100 block of Arthur Avenue, Brookfield.

n A resident of the 3800 block of Harrison Avenue, Brookfield, reported that a gray men’s mountain bike had been stolen from his garage sometime between 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 and 9 a.m., Aug. 26. His garage door closer had malfunctioned and the garage door stood half open.

Criminal damage

Sometime between 6 p.m. on Aug. 26 and 7:45 a.m. on Aug. 27, someone smashed the front passenger side window of a 2001 Saturn parked in a driveway in the 4600 block of Eberly Avenue, Brookfield. Police reported that a rock was found on the front seat of the car.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside and Brookfield police departments from Aug. 22 through Aug. 28 and represents a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not yet been adjudicated.

?”compiled by Bob Uphues