A Bensenville man told Brookfield police he was trying to find his way home from a VFW hall on Chicago’s Northwest Side when he drove his 2008 Toyota Rav 4 completely through the Veterans’ Memorial Circle at Eight Corners in Brookfield on Sunday morning.
Rodrigo E. Diaz, 34, was not seriously injured in the crash. According to police, Diaz was traveling southbound on Maple Avenue about 4 a.m. and appeared to go through the stop sign at the circle and then plowed into the circle without braking.
His vehicle slammed into the west side of the fountain at the circle, blasting stone debris southward and knocking off half of the heavy wooden cap on top of the fountain. The vehicle then struck a brick post, knocking off its stone cap, before re-entering the roadway and coming to a stop on Maple Avenue. The car’s tires were flat and wheels bent, with sundry fluids oozing out of the engine when police arrived.
The first officer on the scene reported that Diaz was in the driver’s seat looking at his cellphone. Asked what he was doing, Diaz reportedly responded, “I’m trying to contact my car insurance company.”
Police stated that Diaz appeared drunk and asked him to perform sobriety tests, which he failed. His blood-alcohol level was reported to be .169, which is twice the legal limit of .08.
Diaz reportedly told police he had been drinking at a VFW hall in the 6900 block of West Diversey in Chicago and left at 1 a.m. to go home to Bensenville. Instead, he ended up getting lost in Brookfield and may have fallen asleep at the wheel when he crashed into the circle.
Brookfield officials did not have an estimate of the damage done to the fountain. In 2006, a man was charged with DUI after driving his car into one of the two flag poles in the circle, knocking it to the ground. He was later handed a bill to reimburse the village for the expense of replacing it.
Cars versus trees
Brookfield police charged Richard J. Thomas, 54, of Lyons with driving under the influence after he reportedly drove his 2008 Acura TL off the roadway and into two parkway trees in the 3800 block of Rosemear Avenue at 1:45 a.m. on May 5.
Thomas’ blood-alcohol level was reported to be .301, which is nearly four times the legal limit. Police also reported finding a bottle of vodka on the floor of the car.
A 17-year-old female from Berwyn was cited for filing a false police report after allegedly concocting a story about her vehicle being struck by a van pulling out of a driveway in the vicinity of Barrypoint and Fairbank roads about 7 p.m. on May 3.
When aspects of her story didn’t fit together, police eventually learned that the juvenile apparently lost control of her vehicle and struck a parkway tree in the 100 block of Barrypoint Road.
Neither the driver nor her three teenage passengers were injured in the crash.
No tip for you
A 34-year-old Brookfield woman called police on May 3 to report that someone had added a $27 tip to a $33 tab she had incurred on April 29 at the Local Bar and Grill, 3733 Grand Blvd. Police responded by speaking with the bartender, who said that the woman had already called and that the manager wanted to reimburse the woman for the entire bill.
According to the report, the signature and tip/total amounts on the receipt appeared to have been written with two different pens with different handwriting. The woman was reimbursed for $60.
North Riverside car break-ins
A resident of the 2300 block of Westover Avenue, North Riverside, reported to police that between 6 p.m. on May 2 and 6 a.m. on May 3 someone broke out the driver’s side front window of his 2003 Chevy Tahoe, which was parked on Traube Avenue, and ransacked the interior. Nothing appeared missing, but items from the glove compartment, CDs and other items were strewn about the vehicle. The driver’s side mirror was also bent backward.
North Riverside police responded to the 2300 block of 15th Avenue at 11 p.m. on May 7 after a 911 caller stated that four male subjects were in the area of a 2002 Buick that had its rear door open. The men left the scene before police arrived.
Police found the passenger side rear door of the car open and an open duffel bag lying in the street. The glove compartment was also open and items were scattered throughout the car. The owner of the vehicle stated he noticed no items missing.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, May 2-8, 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. These cases have not been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Bob Uphues
