Police assigned to the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force announced last week that they had arrested a man responsible for selling marijuana in the near west suburbs.
During a traffic stop in the 2500 block of Hainsworth Avenue on June 23 about 6:40 p.m., police arrested Francisco Estrada, 23, of Burbank, and charged him with possession of cannabis, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to police, Estrada drove his 2008 Chevy Malibu through a stop sign at 25th Street, prompting the stop. Police reported a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle.
A search revealed 17.4 grams of cannabis inside the vehicle along with cannabis seeds found in the false bottom of an aerosol can. Also recovered from the vehicle were packaging materials and a digital scale, police said.
In addition to the charges, police seized Estrada’s car. A 22-year-old Lyons man who was a passenger in the vehicle was released without being charged.
Zoo employee charged with theft
An 18-year-old Stickney resident has been charged by Riverside police with one count of felony theft and one court of misdemeanor theft after allegedly skimming money while working as a parking lot cashier at Brookfield Zoo.
Zoo police reported receiving an anonymous call from someone who stated Sean P. Gilley was stealing money. Zoo police reviewed video surveillance footage taken June 26 from a camera inside Gilley’s parking lot booth in the northwest parking lot of the zoo.
While he was working between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., police reported seeing Gilley taking $10 bills from drivers, handing them $1 in change and then pocketing the $10 bill. In all, Gilley reportedly stole $738 that day, according to police.
Zoo police arrested Gilley on June 29. At that time he also reportedly confessed to skimming another $334 in early April.
As of July 1, Gilley remained in Cook County Jail with his bond set at $50,000. He has a court date July 11 at Maybrook.
Pull up your pants
Bolingbrook resident Sammy L. Rice, 21, was charged with disorderly conduct by North Riverside police on June 29 after he reportedly started loudly cursing and yelling at North Riverside Park Mall security guards.
Rice and three others were walking through the mall, 7501 Cermak Road, when mall security told Rice and his brother to pull their sagging pants up around their waists. Rice’s brother told police he “corrected the issue” but that security guards continued to “harass” them, angering Rice.
Rice was reportedly uncooperative with police, who charged him with disorderly conduct.
Police also arrested another member of the group, Shante R. Gray, 27, of Willowbrook, after learning she was wanted on a warrant by DuPage County police for failure to appear in court.
Bikes stolen at park
Two teenage boys told Brookfield police that their bicycles were stolen as they played baseball at Jaycee/Ehlert Park about 3 p.m. on June 27.
The victims said they followed the offenders to a sandwich shop at Plainfield Road and 47th Street, recognizing one of them. They gave police descriptions of the two boys suspected of stealing the bikes. Police questioned one youth, but released him without charges. As of July 1, police had not reported recovering the bikes or making any arrests.
DUI
Riverside police charged Chicago resident Benico Cortina, 29, with felony driving under the influence after an officer reported seeing him driving erratically while northbound on Harlem Avenue from Ogden Avenue about 3:20 a.m. on July 1.
According to the report, Cortina’s Chevy Geo was weaving and crossed the centerline twice before he was stopped in the 2500 block of Harlem Avenue. Cortina’s blood-alcohol level was reportedly .16, which is twice the legal limit of .08.
Because Cortina did not possess a valid driver’s license, the charge was upgraded to a felony.
Lyons resident Jack Slavin, 26, was charged with DUI after Brookfield police reported him driving his 1996 Chevy Caprice without headlights and blowing two stop signs after pulling out of a bar parking lot in the 8900 block of Burlington Avenue at 11:42 p.m. on June 28.
Slavin reportedly failed field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level of .14, which is nearly twice the legal limit. He was also cited twice for disobeying a stop sign, driving without headlights and no proof of insurance.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, June 23-July 1, 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
