Riverside police along with officers from the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force last week arrested a teenager suspected of dealing drugs and a 33-year-old man wanted on a warrant by Cook County Sheriff’s Police.
Police armed with a search warrant descended on the 3900 block of Center Avenue in Lyons at about 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 27 after conducting a two-month investigation initiated by a Riverside police officer. Police were investigating alleged drug dealing by a juvenile who lived at the residence.
Using drug-sniffing dogs, police didn’t find any drugs, but did locate packaging materials. A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to WEDGE Chairman Thomas Weitzel, who also serves as Riverside’s police chief, investigation of the case continues and other charges are possible.
At the time of the search warrant, police also received information that another subject of interest was in Stickney and went to his home in the 6800 block of Pershing Road. There they took the man, who was wanted on a warrant for violating a court order on a felony traffic charge, into custody.
Felony DUI arrest
Riverside resident Edward W. Walz, 47, faces a felony charge of driving under the influence after police reported finding him asleep at the wheel of a black Jeep Wrangler that was parked on the grass parkway in the 100 block of Michaux Road, Riverside, on Feb. 27 at about 6:50 p.m.
A resident of the block called police to report a vehicle parked on the parkway, and police arrived to find Walz asleep in the vehicle, with his foot on the brake and the engine running.
A police officer reported having to pound on the window several times to wake up Walz. Paramedics transported Walz to the hospital due to his state of intoxication, police said.
He was charged with aggravated DUI due to two prior DUI convictions, in addition to driving while revoked and other traffic offenses.
Gang graffiti reported
Residents near Harlem Avenue in Riverside reported three instances of graffiti, at least two of them gang-related, during the overnight hours of March 4 and 5.
A resident of the 300 block of Blythe Road reported that someone spray painted the letters “LKN” on the rear windshield of her vehicle, which was parked in the driveway.
Over on the 400 block of Lindberg Road, meanwhile, a pair of black “X” marks were spray painted onto the driver’s side windows of a vehicle parked there. Part of a license plate was also spray painted.
In the 2900 block of Harlem Avenue, a resident of a building there reported that the letters “LK” and an inverted pitchfork were painted on the garage.
In North Riverside, a resident of the 2200 block of 15th Avenue reported on March 4 that between 6 and 9:30 p.m. someone had used a permanent marker to draw a five-point crown and the letters “LK” on the side door of a residence and the letters “LK” on the garage door.
Vehicle break-ins
A resident of the 300 block of Northwood Road, Riverside, reported that during the overnight hours of March 4 and 5, someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked in an unsecured garage and removed a global positioning system unit, $20 in cash and two sets of keys.
In the 100 block of Gage Road, Riverside, someone entered two vehicles parked in the driveway of a home and removed a videogame player, charging cord and a GPS unit.
Three other Riverside residents also reported on March 5 that their vehicles were broken into. The incidents happened in the 200 block of Shenstone Road, the 300 block of Eastgrove Road and the 400 block of Lindberg Road. All of the vehicles were unlocked.
A 24-year-old Chicago woman reported on Feb. 29 that someone broke out the window of her 2003 Chevy Trail Blazer, which was parked in the lot at the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, and removed the in-dash stereo, an amplifier and two speakers.
A resident of the 3500 block of Oak Avenue, Brookfield, reported that overnight on March 1-2, someone entered her unlocked Dodge Caravan, which was parked on the street, and removed a power drill and a bag of clothing.
The owners of a home in the 3800 block of Madison Avenue, Brookfield, reported on March 4 that some time overnight, someone entered their unlocked garage and stole some cash from a vehicle parked inside. Also missing were some tools and a case of beer.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Feb. 27-March 4, 2012, 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
