Retail Thefts, Resisting Arrest: New Lenox Police Reports

The following information is from the New Lenox Police Department. An arrest or charge is not an indication of guilt.

Oct. 5

• A man stole over $360 worth of cosmetic items from CVS, 115 E. Lincoln Highway.
• Giovanni Garcia, 20, of Steger, was charged with driving while license suspended and speeding at 2:29 p.m. at Haven Avenue and Veterans Parkway. According to police reports, the officer saw a vehicle speeding and conducted a traffic stop. It was learned Garcia had a suspended license and that he had an outstanding Will County Warrant for failing to appear in court.
• A purse was stolen from Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer met with the complainant, who said they were shopping and walked away from their cart which had their purse in. When they returned to the car, the purse was gone.

Oct. 6

• Tanya Veenstra, 35, of Wilmington, was charged with retail theft at 3:32 p.m. at Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer learned Veenstra had stolen $700 worth of items from the store. Veenstra also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest out of Grundy County.
• A man paid for food at Lou Malnati's, 2510 E. Lincoln Highway, using a counterfeit $100 doll. The man was provided change from the sale and left the store without his food before the officer arrived, police reports state.

Oct. 7

• Aaron Yonley, 49, of Joliet, was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest at 1:08 a.m. at Route 66 Food and Fuel, 2560 N. Cedar Road. According to police reports, the officer was dispatched to the station because a man was urinating on the outside of the building and loitering near an employee-only access door. The officer located Yonley, and learned he had an active Metra Police Department warrant. Yonley resisted officers while being arrested, and he was taken into custody after a brief struggle. No one was harmed or injured during the struggle, police reports state.
• Someone stole a laptop computer from a home in the 100 block of Haines Avenue.

Oct. 8

• Pamela Levey, 50, of Joliet, was charged with retail theft at 10:08 a.m. at Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer learned Levey had stolen $68 worth of items from the store.
• Christopher Valentino, 34, of New Lenox, was charged with domestic battery at 8:32 p.m. in the 100 block of Maple Lane. According to police reports, the officer learned the victim was struck in the face and bit on the hand during an argument with Valentino.

Oct. 9

• Nathan Reiter, 42, of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, was charged with retail theft at 10:37 a.m. at Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer learned Reiter had stolen $56 worth of items from the store.
• A man stole $60 worth of liquor from Walgreens, 466 Nelson Road.

Oct. 10

• Alama Gonzalez, 51, of Joliet, was charged with retail theft at 5:25 p.m. at Walmart, 501 E. Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer learned Gonzalez had stolen $54 worth of items from the store.
• Byran Higginbotham, 64, of Farmington, New Mexico, was charged with DUI-alcohol at 11:29 p.m. in the 300 block of West Lincoln Highway. According to the police report, the officer was called to White Horse Inn about an intoxicated driver who may have been involved in an accident. The officer found the car in the parking lot, and saw fresh damage from an accident and saw the vehicle was missing parts. The officer learned Higginbotham had hit a fire hydrant and a street sign near the VFW on Old Hickory Road.

Oct. 11

• Michael Salerno, 26, of Westmont, was charged with DUI-alcohol at 5:56 a.m. in the 500 block of East Lincoln Highway. According to police reports, the officer was called to the area for a report of a vehicle parked in the street with a driver possibly asleep at the wheel. The officer located the car and made contact with Salerno, who was the driver, and learned he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
• A man stole four cartons of cigarettes from Speedway gas station, 800 W. Lincoln Highway.

Oct. 12

• A man stole a bottle of alcohol from CVS, 115 E. Lincoln Highway, and fled the scene.