Two men suspected of a string of retail thefts from Sports Authority stores throughout the Chicago area were arrested and charged with felony retail theft by North Riverside police on Feb. 10 after the two allegedly stole $450 in athletic shoes from Sports Authority, 1800 S. Harlem Ave. just before 3:30 p.m.
According to the police report, the men stole seven pairs of shoes and fled the store before being apprehended not far from the store on Harlem Avenue. Police also recovered a Husky nail puller, which was reportedly used to remove the magnetic theft-protection sensors from the items.
Edward D. Cunningham, 35, of Chicago, who was paroled from Pinckneyville Correctional Center on Nov. 11, 2005 for a retail theft conviction in 2004 and has also served time for drug offenses and armed robbery, was charged with one count of felony retail theft and one count of unlawful possession of a theft detection device remover.
Curtis V. Matthews, 35, of Chicago was charged with one felony count of retail theft and one count of misdemeanor theft. He was on parole from the Menard Correctional Facility for 1995 convictions for armed robbery, aggravated vehicular hijacking and attempted murder.
Burglary, aggravated assault
North Riverside police seek a man who stole a stereo from a car in the North Riverside Park Mall parking lot and later pointed a gun in the face of a witness who followed him down Harlem Avenue at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 7.
According to police, a Sears employee was leaving work when he saw a man exit a red Honda that belonged to a fellow employee with the vehicle’s Sony X-Plot stereo valued at $400 in hand. The man then got into a white Chevy Cavalier that contained two other men and headed southbound on Harlem Avenue.
The witness followed the offender, but in the 2400 block of Harlem Avenue, the driver of the Chevy Cavalier stopped, got out and pointed a small caliber handgun at the man, who backed his car away from the offender. The driver of the Chevy then proceeded southbound on Harlem Avenue.
Police reported that the offender gained entry to the Red Honda by smashing out one of the car windows.
Aggravated fleeing/eluding
Riverside police cleared a 2004 incident in which a man led police on a high-speed chase down First Avenue, with the arrest of Lyons resident Fredrick E. Bailey, 34, on Feb. 6. Police had sought Bailey since Nov. 2, 2004, when police attempted to pull him over for speeding on First Avenue at Forest Avenue. But Bailey allegedly fled in his 1992 Buick Park Avenue at speeds in excess of 80 mph, before police broke off the chase at Cermak Road.
A check of the plate number linked the car to an address in the 4300 block of Amelia Avenue in Lyons. Police went to the residence several times in the aftermath with no luck and issued a $40,000 warrant for Bailey’s arrest.
On Feb. 6, Lyons police responded to that address for a disturbance call, arrested Bailey on the outstanding warrant and turned him over to Riverside police.
Disorderly conduct
Riverside police charged Brookfield resident Anthony J. Panosh, 23, with disorderly conduct after he was identified as allegedly attempting to break into the poor box at St. Mary Church, 105 Herrick Road, just before 2 p.m. on Feb. 11.
The alleged attempt to break into the poor box failed and Panosh fled on a bike before being picked up by police near Delaplaine Road and East Burlington Street and identified by a witness just minutes later. Panosh was also wanted by Berwyn police for a criminal trespass warrant. After processing, he was turned over to Berwyn police.
Criminal damage
Brookfield police reported three vehicles damaged just prior to 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 as the vehicle’s owners played pool inside Green Pockets Billiards, 9415 Ogden Ave. Two of the vehicles, a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse and a 1985 Chevy Camaro, were parked in the lot at the business. Both has their windshields shattered and both had footprints on the car hoods. A 2003 Acura, which was parked nearby, also had its windshield shattered.
? Sometime during the overnight hours of Feb. 1-2, an unknown person smashed in two driver’s side windows of a 2004 Chevy parked in the 3200 block of Vernon Avenue, Brookfield. Nothing appeared to be missing from inside the vehicle. According to the report, a resident heard a loud noise around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 1.
Battery
North Riverside police charged Chicago resident Filberto Mora, 21, with two counts of battery to a police officer after he allegedly struck one officer and then resisted arrest during an incident at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 12 in the parking lot in front of Petco, 2204 S. Harlem Ave.
Police responded to the scene after a call reporting a man attempting to start fights with pedestrians in the parking lot. When police arrived, they found Mora, who reportedly was intoxicated, and another man. During questioning, Mora allegedly became combative, took off his coat and lunged toward one of two responding officers, hitting him in the chest with both hands.
The officers wrestled the man to the ground, but were only able to handcuff him when a Riverside officer, who was called in to assist, stunned him with a Taser shot. Mora was also charged with resisting arrest and public intoxication.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from Feb. 1 through Feb. 12 and which 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
