Riverside police responded to a home in the 600 block of Selborne Road on the evening of March 11 after a resident called to report that the residence had been burglarized.

The homeowners told police that they had left the house around 11 a.m. and that when they returned just prior to calling police at 8:20 p.m., they observed it to have been ransacked. After determining that no one was still inside the home, police processed the scene and collected evidence.

The manner of entry into the home and what items were taken were redacted from the police report.

  • North Riverside police say someone burglarized a unit inside a multifamily building in the 2200 block of Desplaines Avenue after apparently kicking in a door leading to a common vestibule sometime on March 15.

A postal service employee called police at about 12:35 p.m. to report the forced entry into the vestibule, where parts of the door frame were found on the ground. In another common area police reported locating a purse with its contents strewn about the stairwell.

That purse belonged to a tenant, who told police it had been removed from her unit. Also taken was a ring and an unknown amount of cash. There were no signs of forced entry into the victim’s unit, police said.

Softball equipment stolen from car

A resident of the 4600 block of Vernon Avenue, Brookfield, went to police on the morning of March 20 to report that someone had burglarized her vehicle sometime after 3 p.m. the previous day.

According to the victim, the vehicle had been left unlocked in her building’s rear parking lot. She returned to the vehicle the next morning and the trunk was ajar and about $500 in softball equipment was missing.

Aggravated battery

A 20-year-old Chicago man faces two felony charges of aggravated battery to a police officer after allegedly fighting with two off-duty police officers working as private security guards at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, on the afternoon of March 18.

The incident transpired in a hallway outside the family bathroom near the mall food court around 4:45 p.m., when a mall security guard intervened in a fight between Joshua Mendez and an unidentified woman.

According to the police report, Mendez and his girlfriend had been inside the family bathroom and became upset when a woman who needed to use the bathroom with her young daughter pounded on the door.

When the woman reportedly accused the two of having sex in the bathroom, the verbal altercation became physical. When a security guard intervened, Mendez allegedly tackled him, got on top of him and began striking him.

Another off-duty police officer working as a security guard then intervened, with Mendez also allegedly striking him, before he could be placed into handcuffs.

DUI crashes

  • Riverside police charged a 62-year-old Morrisville, Vermont, woman with driving under the influence of alcohol after she reportedly crashed her gray Volkswagen into a gray Toyota that was parked in the 3400 block of Harlem Avenue at around 10:05 p.m. on March 13.

According to the police report, both vehicles sustained heavy damage and although the driver of the Volkswagen was not seriously injured, paramedics transported her to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn for treatment.

At the hospital, the woman reportedly failed field sobriety tests, which she underwent while sitting in a wheelchair. She reportedly said she became tired while driving and only remembered her vehicle striking the parked car.

  • Brookfield police charged a 27-year-old Riverside resident with driving under the influence of alcohol after his 2017 Land Rover drove into an unoccupied vehicle parked on the south side of Gerritsen Avenue just east of Maple Avenue after being awakened by a police officer on patrol at about 3:05 a.m. on March 14.

According to the police report, an officer observed the Land Rover, which was running, had its headlights on and the rear hatch completely open, stopped and facing east on Gerritsen at Madison Avenue.

At first no one appeared to be inside the vehicle, police reported. On further investigation, police reported observing a man sleeping in the driver’s seat. The man woke up after police knocked on the window and he looked at police for a few seconds before the car started rolling forward slowly.

The Land Rover “appeared as if it was unmanned” police reported as it rolled past Madison and Arthur avenues before striking the parked vehicle and coming to a stop. The driver declined to take sobriety tests but reportedly admitting to having drunk alcohol before getting behind the wheel.

In addition to DUI, the driver was cited for three traffic violations.

  • A 54-year-old Maywood man faces DUI charges in addition to hit-and-run citations after he allegedly drove his gray Infiniti into the rear end of a Honda Fit stopped at a red light on First Avenue at the Canadian National railroad tracks on May 19 at about 11:30 p.m.

The impact of the crash left the Honda inoperable and resting on the railroad tracks. The driver of the Infiniti allegedly proceeded to flee the scene despite his vehicle leaking fluids and the hood of his car so damaged it obscured his view of the road. Police located the vehicle a little further north of the train crossing on First Avenue.

Police said the offending driver denied having drunk alcohol prior to driving, but he appeared intoxicated and could not perform field sobriety tests. In addition to DUI, he was cited for leaving the scene of a crash and for failure to render aid or give information following a crash.

Sewer covers stolen

Police in both Riverside and Brookfield reported multiple instances of someone removing and taking the cast iron covers from sewer openings in the pavement last week.

On March 15 at about 12:40 p.m., Brookfield police reported two sewer covers missing from an alley between Sunnyside and Oak avenues. The next day at about 5:30 p.m., police received a report of a missing sewer cover from the alley between Jefferson and Monroe avenues, closer to Harrison Avenue.

On March 16 at about 5:30 p.m., police responded to the alley between Groveland and Lincoln avenue after a resident reported a missing storm sewer cover. About 15 minutes later, police reported seeing another missing sewer cover, this time in the alley between Kimbark Road and Lincoln Avenue.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, March 11-19, 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