Where there’s pot smoke, there’s charges

A 27-year-old Chicago man faces felony drug charges after his car was pulled over in Riverside at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 when an officer reported being overwhelmed by the smell of cannabis smoke coming from his vehicle.

The officer reported he was northbound on Harlem Avenue near 26th Street when a red 1998 Jeep passed him, heading southbound with the windows down. The officer reported seeing smoke and smelling cannabis, so he made a U-turn and began following the Jeep, stopping it in the 3400 block of Harlem Avenue.

According to police, the driver, Litroy M. Bolton, admitted smoking “a blunt” and gave police the small amount of cannabis that was in his jacket. Police arrested him and searched the vehicle where they reportedly found a black plastic bag containing cannabis and several smaller baggies packaged for delivery.

While in police custody, Bolton was also found to have on his person more small bags of cannabis, according to police. In addition, police reported recovering a container of tequila and a container with pineapple juice mix and tequila inside.

The Cook County State’s Attorney approved charging Bolton with felony possession of cannabis and felony possession of cannabis with intent to deliver. He was also charged with illegal transportation of open alcohol and cited for several traffic offenses.

Police are seeking to seize the Jeep. 

Cops: hit-and-run driver struck 5 vehicles

Brookfield police cited a 38-year-old Brookfield man for a variety of traffic offenses after he allegedly struck five different vehicles, two of them twice, while driving on a snow-covered roadway in the 4000 block of Sunnyside Avenue on Jan. 10 about 6:50 p.m.

According to the police report, the offender was driving a 2005 Buick Allure northbound on Sunnyside Avenue when it sideswiped a blue Volvo, which was southbound on the street, and then struck a Jeep parked on the roadway.

The Buick reportedly then reversed and went south, striking the side mirror of a Kia parked on the street before backing into a parking spot on Sunnyside near Ogden Avenue.

The owner of the Volvo followed the Buick and stopped the car in front of the Buick to block it from leaving. According to the police report, the owner of the Volvo stated that the Buick driver refused to give him insurance information and then drove away when the Volvo’s owner said he was going to call police.

As the Buick was pulling away, it reportedly struck the Volvo again and then sped off down Sunnyside, striking the Kia again before sideswiping two more parked cars. Police found the Buick, whose driver abandoned it, stuck in the snow on the parkway on the northeast corner of Sunnyside and Windemere avenues.

Police visited the home of the driver, but family members reportedly would not let officers in the house or see him. The man’s attorney talked to police later that night, stating that they should not communicate with his client.

The Buick driver reportedly was identified in a photo lineup by the Volvo driver, who himself was charged with driving without a valid license. Police on Jan. 12 charged the driver of the Buick, who posted bond and awaits a Feb. 25 court date. 

Step aside

A Brookfield police officer was dispatched to the 9500 block of Shields Avenue on Jan. 7 about 5:50 p.m. after a 35-year-old woman called to complain that her garage apron was frozen over and she could not get her car out of the garage to go to the store and buy food for her family.

With the woman’s permission, the officer got in her vehicle and reversed it out of the garage. 

Garage burglary

A resident of the 3400 block of Oak Avenue reported that during the overnight hours of Jan. 6-7 someone entered the garage and removed the overhead garage door opener from the center console of a car parked inside.

According to the report, a tent was found outside the garage in the alley but several items of value were not taken from the garage, police said.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Jan. 4-12, 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