A 44-year-old homeless man, on parole for a 2009 burglary conviction, was charged with felony theft and resisting arrest after allegedly stealing a bicycle from the north train platform in downtown Riverside on Aug. 11 about 1:40 p.m.
A police officer on patrol reportedly saw Steven J. Evrard, who listed his address as the Pacific Gardens Mission in Chicago, on the north platform. Evrard was on foot and wearing a backpack. A few minutes later the officer saw Evrard ride away on a silver Schwinn mountain bike.
Since there have been about a half-dozen bike thefts from the area around the train station and Riverside Swim Club in the past two months, the officer attempted to talk with Evrard, who rode off eastbound on Burlington Street.
Evrard ditched the bike and the backpack in the parking lot at Riverside Foods, 48 E. Burlington St., and attempted to jump a fence before the officer used a stun gun to subdue him.
Police found bolt cutters inside the backpack. Evrard reportedly told police he stole the bike in order to sell it to get money to buy drugs.
Evrard has been in and out of state prison since 1985, convicted 10 times for offenses ranging from residential burglary to theft and being in possession of a stolen vehicle. He was charged with theft of lost or mislaid property, aggravated resisting arrest and possession of burglary tools by a felon.
Bison tipping
A 22-year-old Brookfield resident was charged with criminal damage to property after allegedly tipping over the bison statue in front of the Brookfield Public Library, 3609 Grand Blvd. on Aug. 12 about 4:10 a.m.
Police responded to the scene after a 911 caller stated two men were attempting to steal the statue. The men were detained in the 3500 block of Oak Avenue. One of them, also a 22-year-old from Brookfield, admitted he acted as a lookout while the other attempted to knock over the statute, which is connected to a heavy concrete base.
The arresting officer noted that the statue was damaged at its base, which had been pulled from the ground.
Attempted burglary
North Riverside charged a 17-year-old North Riverside boy with attempted burglary, criminal trespass and resisting a police officer after he allegedly tried to enter the garage of a home in the 2300 block of 13th Avenue on Aug. 8 about 10:50 p.m.
The homeowner, an off-duty police officer, looked out his window and reported seeing someone trying to force open the service door of his garage. The man confronted the boy and identified himself as a police officer, but the boy reportedly ran away. After a two-block chase, the officer detained the boy and waited for North Riverside police to arrive.
From motel guest to jail guest
Lombard resident Maggie Harris, 59, went from being an annoying motel guest to a woman charged with a felony in a matter of four days last week in Brookfield.
The owner of the Colony Motel, 9232 Ogden Ave., called police on Aug. 7 stating he wanted a woman out of his motel because she was acting ‘crazy.” Because she had paid for her room, police said it was a civil matter.
On Aug. 8 police returned to the motel and arrested Harris after finding she had an active warrant for her arrest. While in police custody on Aug. 11, Harris reportedly attacked a female police officer, reportedly punching her in the face and chest 5-10 times.
She was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest.
Open beer, unsecured kids
Chicago resident Jose E. Medrano, 33, faces a felony charge of driving under the influence after police Riverside stopped him for speeding while heading southbound on Harlem Avenue from Lawton Road at 2 a.m. on Aug. 12.
According to police, Medranofs silver Toyota was traveling 50 mph in a 30-mph zone and it took him two blocks to pull over after an officer pulled behind him. The officer reported finding a six-pack of beer with four beers missing and one bottle open on the floor of the vehicle.
Inside the vehicle were also an adult male and his two children, both under the age of 2 and not secured in car seats. Medrano previously received court supervision for a DUI charge in 2008, police said. Because of the previous record and unsecured children, the Cook County Statefs Attorneyfs Office approved a felony DUI charge against Medrano, who was also charged with endangering the life of a child and several traffic offenses.@
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Aug. 6 – Aug. 12, 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
