North Riverside police are hunting for a man who stole an Ohio man’s identity and used it to fraudulently purchase nearly $4,000 in jewelry at the a store in the North Riverside Park Mall, 7503 Cermak Road, in February.

According to police, a man entered the J.B. Robinson Jewelers store in the mall on Feb. 26 and submitted a credit request. The man presented the store employee with an Ohio driver’s license as his ID, and he was approved to purchase $3,923 worth of jewelry.

Riverside police were alerted to the apparent scam at 6:30 p.m. on April 3, when a credit fraud investigator handling the case for the retail jewelry chain called police. The investigator reported that the 40-year-old Ohio man whose name and ID information was given for the credit check, had had his identity stolen.

DUI

Brookfield police charged Christopher L. Greer, 21, of Brookfield, with aggravated driving under the influence after a traffic stop at 1:41 a.m. on April 9.

According to the police report, an officer observed Greer squeal the tires of his 1993 Chevy four-door in the lot at the BP Amoco at the corner of Ogden and Maple avenues and then take off westbound on Ogden Avenue at a high rate of speed.

After the officer reportedly saw the car turn north on Raymond Avenue without signaling, he pulled the car over in the 4000 block of Raymond Avenue. Greer reportedly failed field sobriety tests and admitted drinking beer that night. He refused to submit to a breath test.

Police also discovered that Greer’s license was already suspended for a previous DUI, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved upgrading the charge to a felony due to the prior record.

Vehicle theft

A patron at the Bally’s health club, 1770 Harlem Ave., North Riverside, reported to police that between 6:15 p.m. and 8:25 p.m. on March 30, someone broke into her locker and then stole her car from the parking lot.

According to police, the woman returned to her locker to find the door open and the lock missing. Missing from inside the locker was her purse, some $9,500 in personal items, including her engagement ring and diamond earrings.

Inside the purse were the keys to the woman’s 2004 Mercedes Benz, which was parked in the health club’s lot; the car, valued at $26,000, was gone.

The woman’s husband later reported receiving a call from Chicago police, who reported that two women were seen in a car matching the description of the stolen Mercedes at the intersection of Cermak Road and Paulina Avenue in Chicago. That witness called police after the women threw items out the car window.

Police recovered the woman’s purse.

Hit and run

Riverside police cited a 13-year-old Riverside boy, who reportedly took his parents’ car out for a joyride, with two traffic violations after the 2002 Toyota Camry he was driving struck a parked 2006 Honda Pilot SUV in the 500 block of Selborne Road at noon on April 9.

The car sped off after the crash, but the owner of the parked vehicle was able to get the license plate number of the Camry, which was traced to a Riverside home. Police reported that the boy left the scene because he was afraid.

He was cited for not having a driver’s license, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and leaving the scene of an accident.

Burglary to vehicle

An employee at J.C. Penney in the North Riverside Park Mall, 7503 Cermak Road, North Riverside, reported to police that sometime after noon on March 27, someone pried out the front passenger-side window and removed 300 CDs valued at $4,000 from the inside of the vehicle. The man told police he uses the CDs in his part-time job as a DJ.

Theft, battery

North Riverside police charged Hillside resident Keon J. Carter, 21, with retail theft and other offenses after he allegedly stole a $60 pair of shoes from Kohl’s, 2200 Harlem Ave.

According to the police report, Carter struck a security guard who tried to apprehend him outside the store and resisted North Riverside police who arrived on the scene.

In addition to retail theft, Carter was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, battery and resisting arrest.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from March 26 through April 9 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