Man With Child In Car Charged With DUI

Serge Siniak, 37, of Northbrook was charged with Driving Under the Influence and Endangering the Life of a Child Oct. 21. Police responded to his former wife, who said asked them to stand by while Siniak handed off their child to her according to child custody arrangements. She said his voice had sounded slurred on the telephone, according to the police report. 

Shortly after 8:15 p.m., Siniak pulled up to the Golf Mill Shopping Center to hand off the child, and as the mother was removing the child from the car seat in the rear, police said they detected an odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. When asked if he had been drinking, Siniak said he had had one beer earlier, the report indicated. He showed signs of impairment on field sobriety tests, according to the report. Police notified the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Siniak's court date is Nov. 15 in the Skokie branch of the Cook County court. 

Woman Charged With Felony Theft After Stuffing Goods Into Stroller

Norma Balderas, 35, of Des Plaines was charged with Class 4 felony retail theft on Oct. 19 just before 8:15 p.m. at a Golf Mill Shopping Center store. The store security agent told police she selected multiple clothing items, shoes and a bottle of perfume from store sales displays and concealed them in her purse, diaper bag and in the basket under her stroller, according to the report. The total retail value of the items was $551.85. Balderas exited the store without paying for the items, the report indicated, and store security stopped her and recovered the merchandise. An assistant state's attorney approved felony charges based on the theft amount. Her court date is Nov. 6.