Two cited for racing at 90 mph on Cermak

A 19-year-old Berwyn man and an 18-year-old Cicero man were charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, speeding and street racing after they reportedly raced each other at speeds clocked at 90 mph while eastbound from 7th Avenue on Cermak Road in North Riverside on Sept. 23 at about 1:55 a.m.

The two were returning home in separate cars from a friend’s house in Westchester and reportedly raced each other from the time they entered Cermak Road in that village.

A North Riverside police officer heard the sounds of engines and then spotted a black vehicle and white vehicle racing side by side. The officer’s radar unit clocked the vehicles at 90 mph in a 35 mph zone. He was able to stop both vehicles in the 8300 block of Cermak Road.

In addition to the driving offenses, the 18 year old was charged with obstructing justice and driving without a valid license. He reportedly switched seats with a 19-year-old passenger from Berwyn after being stopped by police, and told the officer that the passenger, who had a valid license, had been driving.

However, the video recording unit of the squad car picked up a conversation between the two 19 years olds, who had been placed in the back seat of the police vehicle, in which the idea to switch seats was revealed.

Loaded gun in glove box

Riverside police charged a 25-year-old Broadview man with two counts of misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia and traffic offenses after an officer stopped the man’s vehicle for going 59 mph in a 35 mph zone while northbound in the 3200 block of First Avenue on Sept. 19 just before midnight.

The officer reportedly recovered a loaded .45-caliber, semiautomatic Glock handgun in the unlocked glove box. Police also reported recovering a Ruger .223 rifle and a box of .45-caliber ammunition from the vehicle. Under Illinois law the loaded handgun in the glove box was illegal, because it was easily accessible to the driver.

Arrest in Craigslist scam

Springdale, Ark., police arrested a 47-year-old man on Sept. 10 and charged him with stealing $2,100 from a Riverside man from whom he agreed to buy a car through an ad on Craigslist.

In August, the Riverside resident contacted police, saying he had posted a Craigslist ad and received a text message from a man who said he was acting as an intermediary for a friend who wanted to buy the car, but who was deaf.

The two agreed on a price, but the purchaser sent a check that was $2,100 more than the agreed-upon price. To refund the difference, the Riverside man sent a MoneyGram to the purchaser. The refund check cleared, but the check from the purchaser turned out to be fraudulent, according to police.

Riverside police traced the original text message to an address in Springdale, Ark., and contacted police there to help in the investigation. On Sept. 10, Springdale police arrested William E. Kirk, of Springdale, and charged him with theft by receiving.

Look out below!

Two people lodged complaints last week after paint dripped from workers refurbishing the Brookfield water tower onto vehicles below.

On Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. the owner of Southwest Auto Werks, 3827 Maple Ave., told police that sometime between Sept. 7 and 13 white paint was splattered on a 1992 Toyota Tercel, which was parked at his business, which is across the street from the water tower.

On Sept. 20, an employee of the Brookfield preschool, located in the building beneath the water tower at 3840 Maple Ave., reported to police that her 2011 Dodge was splattered with blue and white paint from the water tower.

Vehicle break-ins

Brookfield police last week reported six incidents in which cars were broken into on Sept. 22 and 23.

Among the vehicles targeted were a 2003 Ford parked in the 9500 block of Jefferson Avenue (several items including a GPS unit, iPhone charger and air freshener pack were taken); a 2003 Saab parked in the 3700 block of Blanchan Avenue ($20 in change taken); a 2013 Dodge parked in the 3700 block of Blanchan Avenue (purse and bottle of wine taken); a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe parked in the 3800 block of Woodside Avenue (nothing missing); a 2012 Honda parked in the 3600 block of Forest Avenue (nothing missing); and a 2010 Toyota parked in the 3600 block of Morton Avenue (glove box, center console ransacked).

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Sept. 10-23, 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.