Foot Chase Leads to Stolen Champagne, Money Stolen From Vehicle and More: La Grange Park Police Blotter

SUNDAY, AUG. 19

Woman Loses $1,300; It Could Have Been Worse

An officer on patrol reported that he noticed several purchase receipts and cosmetic items scattered on the sidewalk and front yards of homes near 30^th Street and Forest Road. The officer recognized the name on the receipts as  a resident of La Grange Park. The officer was walking up to the resident’s home on the 1100 block of Robinhood Lane and saw a car in the driveway. The doors were closed, but not locked, and the officer reported he could see that the contents of the vehicle were in disarray.

The officer knocked on the resident’s door and asked her to check on the car. The resident then discovered her purse was missing, but that her wallet with $700 was still in the car.

At about the same time, another La Grange Park resident alerted police that he had found a woman's purse on the front lawn of his home on the 1400 block of Forest Road. The purse that was identified as being the one stolen from the resident’s car.

After a search of the purse's contents, the resident told police that $1,300 was missing from a bank envelope that had been inside.

SATURDAY, AUG. 18

No Valid Driver's License

Hector Damian, 32, of the 7500 block of west 62^nd Street in Summit, was arrested for driving without a valid license at about 9:08 am. An officer reported he observed Damian traveling north on La Grange Road at Garfield Avenue at 45 mph in a 30-mph zone. After pulling Damian over for speeding, the officer said he discovered that Damian did not have a valid driver's license and arrested him. Damian was also issued citations for speeding and no proof of insurance.

FRIDAY, AUG. 17

Driving Without a Valid License

Angel B. Maldonado, 19, of 5300 block of west 25^th Place in Cicero was arrested and cited with driving without a valid license and no insurance at about 1:35 am. While performing another traffic stop, an officer noticed a vehicle traveling at 43 mph in a 30-mph zone. The officer left the first traffic stop and pulled over Maldonado. A records search determined he did not have a valid driver's license or proof of insurance, police said.

Maldonado was also issued citations for speeding and not having a rear license plate light.

THURSDAY, AUG. 16

Damage to Vehicle

A resident drove his car over the police station to report that it had been intentionally damaged while it was parked overnight at the Forest Glen Apartment Complex. The car’s owner said that he returned home at about 11 p.m. Aug. 15 and parked in his designated space in the lot. When he went to his car at about 8:06 a.m. Aug. 16, he found that someone had carved several long scratches around the entire vehicle through the topcoat of paint. The resident reported he had no conflicts with anyone at the complex.

TUESDAY, AUG. 14

Foot Chase Leads to Stolen Champagne

An officer traveling south on Sherwood Avenue approaching Woodlawn Avenue observed Dustin C. Mullins, 28, whose last known address was in Brookfield, riding his bike into the Homestead Apartments parking lot.

The officer reported he was familiar with Mullins from previous police contacts. The officer said he saw Mullins stop his bike and bend over to pick up a brown paper bag that was sitting beside the garages in the parking area. The officer pulled into the lot and drove toward Mullins slowly. Mullins looked at the officer, dropped his bike and the bag, and began to run south through he gangway of the apartments. The officer chased him for a short distance until Mullins stopped and was told to lie down. Mullins was handcuffed to a guardrail because his left hand was in a cast.

The officer said there were two unopened bottles of champagne in the bag. After finding the champagne, the officer talked with a manager at Jewel-Osco, 507 E. Woodlawn Ave., and learned that two bottles of champagne were missing from a shelf. Police said a review of the video surveillance showed Mullins push an empty shopping cart down the liquor aisle and then out the other side with two bottles of champagne in the cart. Mullins then pushed the cart out the door without paying.

Police said they would return the champagne after it was processed as evidence.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor at Matthew@Patch.com. We will verify and report the outcome.

Local Police Contact Information