Private Eye Charged In Hinsdale: Cops

HINSDALE, IL — A private investigator was seen underneath a woman's car installing a tracking device last month in Hinsdale, but he later told officers he had dropped his keys, police said. The woman said the man had been following her for years.

Bing R. Apitz, 78, of Long Grove, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of placing an unauthorized tracking device on a car. Hinsdale Patch obtained the police report.

About 10:30 a.m. Feb. 22, a man was sitting in his car near a medical clinic in the 900 block of North Elm Street when he noticed an older man getting underneath a nearby Mercedes-Benz. The man had something black in his hand, according to the report. After the man struggled to get up, he no longer had the object in his hand.

The witness took down the man's license plate number, went inside the clinic and had an employee call police. He and another person went outside, which is when they saw the man in question leave the area.

When officers arrived, they looked underneath the car, but did not notice anything. While they were standing next to the Mercedes, the 50-year-old owner of the car walked up and asked what was going on. She gave permission for a mechanic to look underneath the car. The mechanic found the device.

With the license plate number, officers were able to get Apitz's driver's license photo. The woman knew who he was, saying Apitz had been following her for years. Once, he did so inside a Walmart, striking up a conversation and asking her personal questions, police said. She said he followed her to the checkout lane.

In an investigation, an officer found that Apitz also went by the name Robert Harden. On the day of the incident, the officer called a number associated with that name. A man answered identifying himself as Bob. The officer asked whether Bob also went by Bing. Apitz responded it depended on who was asking, police said. The officer then identified himself.

The officer said he wanted to speak with Apitz about the tracker he placed on the car in Hinsdale. Apitz said he did not know what the officer was talking about, but said he did drop his keys next to a car, police said. Asked to come to the police station, Apitz said he could not do that and hung up, according to the report.

On Feb. 26, another officer called Apitz, asking whether he could come to the police station. Apitz said he had nothing to discuss, so he would not come, according to the report. The officer said that if Apitz did not show up, he would face charges. Apitz responded, "Do what you have to do," the report said. The officer then obtained a warrant.

Apitz was taken into custody March 8.