An 18-year-old Cicero man was charged with criminal damage to property after he was identified as the person who allegedly etched three words into the east rear windows of the Riverside Bank, 17 E. Burlington St., Riverside on July 5.

On July 9 just after 3:30 p.m., a bank official phoned police stating that the person they believed was responsible was in town riding a skateboard. The man’s hat and skateboard appeared to match those of the man who was caught on a surveillance camera defacing the windows.

Shortly afterwards, police detained William A. Wardzala riding a skateboard in the center of town and charged him with the damage.

Burglary

North Riverside police reported that sometime between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on July 11, someone shattered the driver’s side window of a black Ford Explorer parked in the 2500 block of Desplaines Avenue and removed a Garmin global positioning system unit valued at $400 through the windshield. Damage to the vehicle amounted to another $350, police reported.

Theft

On July 7 just after 8:30 p.m., a 23-year-old Berwyn woman reported to North Riverside police that someone had stolen her purse from a booth at Mother’s Day restaurant, 8815 Cermak Road.

According to the report, the woman told police she left her purse, valued at $300, unattended for about 15 minutes. The purse contained three cellphones, keys, a credit card and identification.

DUI

Chicago resident Carlos Aranda, 27, faces a felony charge of driving under the influence after he was stopped for allegedly driving erratically while southbound on Harlem Avenue just after 8:30 p.m. on July 12.

Police received a 911 call of a possible drunk driver in a white van heading south from 26th Street and narrowly missing hitting other vehicles. An officer located the van near East Burlington Street and followed the vehicle, which reportedly crossed the double yellow line before the officer stopped the van at Robinson Road.

Inside, police reported finding a case of beer and at least four open cans. The driver, Aranda, allegedly appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests. His blood-alcohol level was reportedly .15, which is nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

Because Aranda did not posses a valid license or insurance, the charge was upgraded to a felony.

Brookfield police arrested John Sullivan, 21, of Brookfield, for DUI after he reportedly crossed the median several times while driving his Chevrolet Cavalier northbound on Maple Avenue just before 4 a.m. on July 12.

The vehicle was stopped in the 3600 block of Maple Avenue and the officer reported that Sullivan appeared intoxicated.

Sullivan reportedly failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a blood alcohol test. He was cited for disobeying a stop sign, exceeding the posted speed limit, improper lane usage, operation of a motor vehicle without insurance, failure to signal and expired registration.

Riverside police charged Cicero resident Ernesto I. Garcia, 24, with felony DUI after an officer reported seeing Garcia drive his green Ford over the center line of traffic three times while southbound in the 3800 block of Harlem Avenue on July 13 just before 4:30 a.m.

According to police, Garcia’s blood-alcohol level was .134; he also did not possess a valid license. The Cook County State’s Attorney approved felony charges.

Criminal Damage to Vehicle

A resident of the 9400 block of Jefferson Avenue, Brookfield, reported to police that sometime between 11 p.m. on July 10 and 12:15 p.m. on July 11 the two passenger-side tires of her 1993 Honda had been slashed. There were no witnesses to the incident.

Sometime between 10 p.m. on July 12 and 7:30 a.m. on July 13 someone made a 2-inch dent in the hood of a 1996 Jeep that was parked on the 9200 block of Windemere Avenue, Brookfield. It was observed that the dent had been made by someone who had thrown a clay pot at the windshield of the car. The owner of the vehicle did not hear anything unusual during the course of the night.

Brookfield police reported that during the overnight hours of July 11-12, someone threw a house brick through the windshield of a 1986 Pontiac and scratched the hood of the car. The car had been parked in the 4500 block of Maple Avenue, Brookfield.

A 1994 Chevrolet parked in the 8600 block of Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, had its driver’s side mirror destroyed by a blunt object. The incident occurred sometime between July 11 and July 13.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from July 7 through July 13 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 and Jacob Boyer