Two adults and a juvenile face felony retail theft charges after reportedly stealing coats and other items from Sports Authority, 1800 Harlem Ave., North Riverside on Jan. 25 and then returning on Feb. 1, where they were identified by an employee who called police.
Jose Rodriguez, 18, and Junior Sanchez, 20, both of Chicago were charged with felony retail theft. A 14-year-old Chicago boy was petitioned to Cook County juvenile authorities for the same offense.
According to the report, the store employee observed Rodriguez and the juvenile in the store on Feb. 1, recognizing the pair as the ones who allegedly stole a total of four North Face jackets, each valued at $279.
The two allegedly came back into the store, removed several more coats and hid them under clothing racks before exiting the store, where they were apprehended.
Police, meanwhile, detained Sanchez and a 16-year-old juvenile, who were sitting in a green Ford Escort station wagon in the parking lot. Police reported recovering from the vehicle three North Face jackets, a pair of gloves and a hat, their value totaling $780. All of the items reportedly still had sales tags on them.
The 16 year old boy was not charged.
Shots fired
Police in Brookfield are still investigating just who may have fired several gunshots in the 3500 block of Grand Boulevard just before 4:20 a.m. on Jan. 29.
Two separate emergency calls came into the police switchboard, with each caller stating they had heard “what sounded like six gunshots.”
Police reported searching the southeast yard area of 3527 Grand Blvd., but gave no further information, indicating that the matter was still under investigation. Asked if he could confirm whether or not a gun had actually been fired, Lt. Jeff Leh stated, “It seems really likely.”
Burglary
Brookfield police reported that two vehicles were broken into during the overnight hours of Jan. 30-31. While police didn’t specifically link the two break-ins, the two cars were located near each other and the burglar appeared to be targeting similar items.
According to police, someone broke out the passenger window of a 2006 Hyundai SUV parked in the 4500 block of Elm Avenue and removed a Rio global positioning system unit, a black purse and a case containing 12 CDs valued at $90.
In the 4500 block of Deyo Avenue, someone broke out the passenger side window of a Ford Mustang. While nothing was missing from the car, the owner said he found that the car’s rear view mirror and satellite radio antenna broken on the ground next to the vehicle.
Battery
Riverside police charged Berwyn resident Adrienne Murphy, 52, with battery and criminal damage to property after an incident at the Minuteman gas station at 3346 Harlem Ave. on Jan. 28 at 10:41 p.m.
According to the police report, Murphy was getting out of a cab in the gas station lot, when she opened the taxicab door into the side of a 2004 Cadillac driven by a 27-year-old Lyons man.
Police reported that she struck the Cadillac twice with the taxicab door, and then spit in the face of the car’s 29-year-old female passenger who confronted Murphy. Police stated that Murphy appeared intoxicated at the time of the incident.
DUI
Brookfield police charged Brookfield resident Michael C. Mikesh, 45, with driving under the influence after he allegedly drove his 1991 Ford pickup through a stop sign while westbound on Brookfield Avenue at Hollywood Avenue and then continued to drive erratically for blocks afterward just before 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Snow-fueled crash
A heavy, unexpected snow last Sunday looks to have contributed to a head-on crash in North Riverside.
According to police, at 9:55 p.m. on Feb. 3, Orland Park resident William Pucci, 30, was driving his 2006 Nissan X-Terra eastbound on 31st Street, switching from the curb lane to the inside lane to make a left hand turn onto Groveland Avenue.
However, the vehicle slid across the double yellow line and into the path of a 2007 Honda Element driven by a 17-year-old Riverside resident, hitting the vehicle head on.
No one was hospitalized as a result of the crash and injuries to the passenger of the Nissan and the driver and female passenger of the Honda were described as minor.
Pucci was cited for driving too fast for conditions and driving on the wrong side of the road.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from Jan. 29 through Feb. 3 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Bob Uphues