A 22-year-old Chicago woman drove into Brookfield with a 2009 Chevy sedan last week and left walking away with a handful of traffic tickets and looking for answers after learning the vehicle she thought she bought for $2,500 in September was actually reported stolen a day after she made the purchase.

Brookfield police pulled the woman over in the 8800 block of 31st Street for allegedly going 43 mph in a 30 mph zone just before 3 a.m. on Nov. 18.

During the stop, the officer learned that the car had been reported stolen out of Chicago on Oct. 1, a revelation the driver disputed, saying she and her boyfriend had bought the car from two men they met in the vicinity of Western Avenue and Taylor Street in Chicago on Sept. 30.

After buying the car, the woman was able to obtain valid registration for it at a currency exchange. Police, however, learned that the owner of the car reported it stolen on Oct. 1. The owner had removed the license plates, because she had intended to sell the car and left it parked on the street, apparently with the keys and the vehicle’s title still inside.

The victim told police they saw the vehicle for sale on an online site called Offerup and showed them text messages and photographs of the sellers’ Offerup profile page, but police determined that the victim appeared to have been the victim of a scam and indicated they would seek to reunite the car with its rightful owner.

Before letting the Chicago woman go, police handed her tickets for speeding and operating an uninsured vehicle.

 

Burglary suspect drops proceeds, speeds away

A man suspected of burglarizing the garage of an apartment building in the 8800 block of Plainfield Road, Brookfield, just before noon on Nov. 17 dropped his ill-gotten gains and sped off on a bicycle after a resident caught him in the act.

Police responded to the area after a witness called 911 to report seeing a man walk out of the backyard of the building and place some items under a bush at the edge of the property. The man then walked onto the front porch of the building, hopped on a bicycle and then picked up the items from under the bush.

The witness reportedly chased the suspect, who dropped the items at Gerritsen and Plainfield and was last seen riding away northbound on Prairie Avenue. The witness told police that the items, a power drill and a small air compressor, which had been dropped by the suspect, had been taken from the garage at the property.

Police searched the area for the suspect, without success.

 

Riverside garage and vehicle burglaries

A resident of the 300 block of East Quincy Street, Riverside, called police on Nov. 20 to report that sometime during the early morning hours of the day, someone had entered two unlocked vehicles and removed unspecified items.

Surveillance video obtained by police reportedly showed a man wearing a hood over his head and black gloves entering the cars at about 5:30 a.m.

Police responded to the 300 block of East Burlington Street, Riverside, on Nov. 20 after a resident called to report that someone had ransacked the interior of a vehicle parked in the rear lot of their building.

Items were strewn about the inside of the unlocked vehicle and about $3 in loose change was missing.

A resident of the 300 block of Addison Road, Riverside, contacted police on the morning of Nov. 20 after realizing that someone had entered his garage through an unlocked side service door and removed two cordless drills, a cordless leaf blower and a Bose Bluetooth speaker.

In addition, a vehicle inside the garage had been entered and rifled through. The break-in occurred during the overnight hours, the victim said, between 10:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.

Riverside police responded to the 100 block of Forest Avenue on the morning of Nov. 22 after a resident called to report that someone had entered his unlocked garage sometime after 3 p.m. on the prior day and removed a Honda power washer and a Husky air compressor, each valued at $300.

 

Cops: DUI suspect drove 98 mph

Riverside police charged a 43-year-old Chicago resident Tumas J. Norwood with drunken driving, aggravated speeding, felony possession of a controlled substance and other offenses after an officer stopped his 2019 Chevy sedan, which reportedly was clocked traveling at 98 mph in a 35 mph zone while westbound on 26th Street from Harlem Avenue at about 1:20 a.m. on Nov. 19.

Inside the vehicle, police reported recovering an open bottle of cognac, eight foil packets containing PCP and a large amount of cash.

Norwood’s blood-alcohol content, according to police, was .110, which is greater than the legal limit of .08.

Riverside police charged a 60-year-old Riverside woman with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs after she drove her 2014 Subaru SUV over a crosswalk sign as she turned left from East Burlington Street onto southbound Longcommon Road at about 4:40 p.m. on Nov. 18.

A Riverside police officer who was waiting at a stop sign at Pine Avenue and Longcommon reported seeing the car drive over the sign, which was in the middle of the street and pulled the driver over in the 100 block of East Quincy Street.

The driver reportedly confessed to drinking bourbon and taking prescription pills before getting behind the wheel. She was also cited for traffic offenses.

“Considering it was 4:30 in the afternoon, it’s fortunate there were no pedestrians, children or bicyclists injured by her reckless actions,” said Police Chief Thomas Weitzel in a press release.

 

Christmas lights cord cut

A resident of the 9000 block of Roach Avenue, Brookfield, called police on the morning of Nov. 16 to report that for the second time in the past month, someone cut the electrical cord to the Christmas lights on the east side of the residence. Each time, the offense happened during the overnight hours.

 

Golf ball thrown through window

North Riverside police responded to a home in the 2300 block of Westover Avenue on Nov. 16 at about 7:25 p.m. after a resident called to report that someone had broken out the front window of his house.

Police located an orange golf ball on the front lawn of the property. Surveillance video from the area reportedly captured the incident. According to police, three people, apparently teenage boys, walk southbound from 23rd Street into the alley, stop behind the victim’s house and linger there briefly before walking back toward 23rd Street.

A silver sedan with headlights and taillights off is then seen driving eastbound on 23rd Street and then southbound past the victim’s home. Two people exit the car, approach the front window and both throw objects at it before running back to the car, which then speeds away.

 

Woman punched during road rage incident

A 19-year-old Cicero woman went to police on the night of Nov. 18 after an unknown man allegedly punched her in the face during a road rage incident at Cermak Road and 17th Avenue in North Riverside.

The victim told police that she was driving eastbound on Cermak Road from Wolf Road at about 9 p.m. and changed lanes to avoid a slow-moving vehicle in front of her. After changing lanes, she noticed a black vehicle immediately behind her. She changed lanes again to let that car pass. 

As the two cars approached 17th Avenue, the black vehicle moved in front of the victim’s car and the driver slammed on the brakes. At the stoplight, the driver of the black vehicle reportedly exited, walked up to the victim’s driver’s side window and punched her after the two exchanged words.

The offending vehicle reportedly was registered to a LaGrange Park man, according to police, but the victim did not wish to pursue charges. 

 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Nov. 16-22, 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