North Riverside police charged a 26-year-old Chicago man with misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident and cited him for additional traffic offenses after he allegedly crashed his silver Kia Rio into a light pole and traffic light utility box on the northeast corner of 26th Street and First Avenue on July 5 at 1:25 a.m.

Police reported that there were likely two inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, but that neither was at the scene when police arrived and found the vehicle abandoned there. The impact of the crash had caused the lights at the intersection to malfunction, according to police.

According to police dispatch records, a 911 caller reported the vehicle had been all over the road prior to the crash, and that the driver had fled on foot. Through license plates on the vehicle and identification left inside, police were able to confirm the owner of the vehicle. 

Later that morning police were able to reach the driver on the phone. The man reportedly told them he became “disoriented” prior to the crash. He turned himself in on July 6 to be charged. He has an Aug. 3 hearing date at the Maybrook courthouse.

Packing heat at mall, but legally

North Riverside police responded to the dock area near Entrance 4 at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road on July 5 at about 6:15 p.m. after mall security detained two men who were exiting the mall. Both had handguns protruding from their waistbands, according to the police report.

Both men, who had valid concealed-carry permits, told police that they owned a store inside the mall. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office told police that the two were able to legally carry the weapons. When told about the mall’s no-weapons policy, an assistant state’s attorney told police that since the men were independent business owners, they could legally carry weapons inside the mall in a concealed manner.

Both men were armed with 9 mm pistols.

Items stolen from landscaping business

The owner of Kago Landscaping, 9001 31st St. in Brookfield, called police on July 9 to report that sometime between Jan. 3 and July 2, someone had stolen about four cubic yards of loose mulch along with other items from a storage room.

The owner said he observed the storage room door had been forced open and that four spare tires, six snow shovels, two pitchforks and an Echo weed cutter had been stolen. Also missing was a package containing license plates for seven trucks. 

Aggravated speeding

North Riverside police arrested several more people driving at excessive speeds on village streets last week.

An officer arrested a 20-year-old North Riverside man and cited him for aggravated speeding on July 5 just before midnight after clocking the man driving at 61 mph in a 35 mph zone while southbound in the 1800 block of Harlem Avenue.

North Riverside police cited a 16-year-old Riverside boy for aggravated speeding on July 9 at about 10:25 p.m. after an officer on patrol observed a gray Kia driving westbound on 26th Street from Harlem Avenue driving without headlights. As the officer followed the vehicle, it began accelerating, allegedly reaching 75 mph before stopping for the officer near Park Avenue.

On July 11 at about 4 a.m., a North Riverside officer on patrol clocked a black Honda traveling eastbound in the 8200 block of Cermak Road going 65 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The officer arrested the driver, a 22-year-old Forest Park man, and charged him with aggravated speeding and driving on a suspended license. He was also cited for having no valid vehicle insurance.

A 29-year-old Maywood man was charged with drunken driving and aggravated speeding after an officer stopped him for allegedly driving at 64 mph in a 35 mph zone in the 8700 block of Cermak Road.

The driver appeared intoxicated, according to police, and a breath test indicated that his blood-alcohol content was .175, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Secure that load

A 31-year-old tow truck driver was ticketed for failure to secure load after a vehicle he was transporting fell off the truck and struck a vehicle driven by a 34-year-old Chicago woman on July 11 at about 6:15 p.m.

The victim said she was traveling westbound on Cermak Road approaching the First Avenue cutoff when the vehicle fell off the tow truck, striking hers. The tow truck driver told police he thought he had secured the vehicle properly and didn’t expect it to fall off.

He was also cited for driving on a suspended license.

DUI drugs

Riverside police charged a 36-year-old Berwyn woman with driving under the influence of drugs and cited her for possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on an expired license and improper lane usage after multiple people called 911 to report a U-Haul van swerving recklessly while southbound on First Avenue from Forest Avenue a little before 2 p.m. on July 10.

An officer pulled the vehicle over at Plainfield Road. The driver reportedly had difficulty keeping her balance, and paramedics evaluated her. A passenger inside the vehicle, who identified himself as the driver’s brother, also appeared to be under the influence of drugs, police said.

A search of the vehicle reportedly turned up two pipes used for smoking crack coaine. The driver later admitted to being a heroin user, according to police.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, July 6-12, 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