Western Springs Man Steals Neighbor's Fire Pit: Police

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — A Western Springs man stole a fire pit from one of his neighbors last month, police said.

Brendan M. Whalen, 33, of Western Springs, was charged March 29 with theft under a village ordinance. According to a police report, a fire pit stolen in the 4000 block of Ellington Avenue was found outside Whalen's garage during a neighborhood canvass. Whalen lives about a block away.

In December, Whalen was charged with driving with a revoked license, obstructing identification and operating an uninsured vehicle in Hinsdale. According to a police report, he gave false identifying information to officers.

Here's information from other Western Springs police reports:

• Front windows of a house were damaged between the afternoon of March 27 and the morning of March 28 in the 200 block of 46th Street. The windows were valued at $1,500. A woman in the house heard loud snaps the night of March 27. The damage appears to be from a BB gun.
• A window was damaged overnight Friday at a house in the 3900 block of Clausen Avenue. The damage appears to be from a BB gun. The window was valued at $1,000.
• Ashley Toro, 26, of Chicago, was arrested March 30 on a charge of criminal trespass to a vehicle. She was taken into custody at Central and Ogden avenues, where a stolen car was found. The car's keys were in Toro's possession.

Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.