Ruse Burglary; Hit-And-Run DUI; Robbery Warrant Found: Blotter

NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP, IL — The following information comes from the Glencoe, Kenilworth, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka police departments as a record of police activity and incidents reported to the police. Criminal charges merely represent accusations by the state, and county prosecutors often choose to drop or reduce them. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Anyone arrested is innocent unless later proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

GLENCOE

INCIDENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Fourteen Glencoe residents reported someone had used their identity to apply fraudulently for unemployment benefits between Feb. 25 and March 9.

THEFT
A Shoreline Court resident reported on Feb. 25 that they had wired money to buy several vehicles but only received two of them.

CAR BURGLARY
Someone got into an unlocked Jeep in the 1000 block of Edgebrook Lane prior to 8:30 p.m. March 7, but it did not appear anything had been stolen from inside.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

A 58-year-old Highland Park man was arrested around 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 and charged with aggravated speeding 26 to 35 mph above the limit following a traffic stop near Lake Cook and Green Bay roads.

Mahamud J. Crutchfield, 22, of the 3000 block of North 36th Street, Milwaukee, was arrested around 8:30 p.m. on March 1 following a traffic stop near Dundee Road and Pebblewood Lane. He was charged with driving with a suspended license and issued a speeding ticket. Officers also discovered he had an active arrest warrant in connection with a robbery charged. He was turned over to the custody of the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Johnny Au, 33, of the 6000 block of North Claremont Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 7:30 p.m. on March 4 following an encounter with police in the 2000 block of Frontage Road. He was charged with criminal trespassing to a vehicle, unlawful possession of a fraudulent driver's license and possession of methamphetamine. He was also processed on an existing warrant before he was turned over to the sheriff's office.

Hoang T. Pham, 28, of the 2100 block of Karlov Avenue, Chicago, was arrested around 11 p.m. on March 6 following a traffic stop at Dundee Road and the Edens Expressway. He was charged with delivery of 30 to 500 grams of cannabis, possession of between 100 and 500 grams of cannabis and possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle. Officers also issued him citations for speeding, running a red light and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver.

A 26-year-old Chicago man was arrested around 8 a.m. on March 8 and charged with drirving with a suspended license and ticketed for having an obstructed windshield following a traffic stop near the intersection of Dundee Road and Interstate 94.

A 24-year-old Cicero man was issued a citation for possession of cannabis following an encounter with police near Green Bay and Lake Cook roads.

KENILWORTH

INCIDENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
A Melrose Place resident reported on March 1 that someone had fraudulently used their identity to apply for unemployment insurance benefits.

NORTHFIELD

INCIDENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Four Northfield residents reported between Feb. 22 and March 5 that someone fraudulently applied for unemployment insurance benefits using their identity.

BAD CHECK
A Harding Road resident reported on March 6 that someone had sent them a fraudulent check as payment for a piece of furniture they sold online.

PROFANE MOTORIST
A resident in the 2300 block of Pebblefork Lane reported around 8:45 a.m. on March 7 that they confronted the driver of a suspicious vehicle in the area, but the driver swore at the resident and drove away.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

A 39-year-old Skokie man was arrested around 4:30 p.m. on March 5 and charged with speeding more than 35 mph over the limit and cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle following a traffic stop near Illinois Road and Manor Drive.

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WILMETTE

INCIDENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Forty-three reports of unemployment insurance benefits fraud were reported to Wilmette police between Feb. 19 and March 5.

FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION
A resident in the 800 block of Chestnut Avenue reported on Feb. 19 that their elderly father had been the victim of an unspecified form of financial exploitation.

RUSE HOME BURGLARY
A resident in the 2700 block of Lincoln Lane reported being targeted by a ruse burglary crew around noon on Feb. 23. A man claimed he needed to enter the home to check the water supply for safety reasons due to a burst pipe on a neighbor's property. The resident allowed the man into the basement for about five minutes. During that time other people entered the house and stole various property. The ruse burglar was described as 5 feet, 6 inches and white, with a medium build and olive complexion. Police were told he wore a traffic vest, hat and mask and spoke in an unidentified language via a walkie-talkie.

ONLINE THREAT
A Lincoln Lane resident reported on Feb. 26 that someone sent them threatening text messages via an online application.

PACKAGE THEFT
A resident in the 1400 block of Forest Avenue reported around March 2 that someone stole a recently delivered package from their porch.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE
On March 3, police were told someone scratched a vehicle in the 1100 block of Forest Avenue, causing unspecified damage.

ROMANCE SCAM
A Maple Avenue resident reported on March 4 that they were scammed out of an unspecified amount of money after meeting a person in an online game in September 2020. The resident confided in the internet companion and provided personal information in addition to payments before discovering it was a scam, police were told.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• A Hibbard Road resident reported on Feb. 22 that someone had used their identity to open a bank account.
• An Elmwood Avenue resident reported on Feb. 22 that someone had applied for a credit card using their identity.

FRAUD

• A Greenleaf Avenue resident reported on Feb. 26 that someone had scammed them into providing their credit card information by calling them at home and claiming to be an IT technician.
• A Riverside Drive resident reported on March 2 that there were three unauthorized withdrawals were made from their bank account for an unspecified loss.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

A 43-year-old Evanston man was arrested around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 and charged with driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop in the 800 block of Green Bay Road. Officers also issued him citations for no front license plate and driving an uninsured vehicle.

Joshua Davis, 36, of the 7600 block of North Paulina Street, Chicago, was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. on March 3 and charged with retail theft after police were told he stole unspecified items from the BP Amoco gas station at 901 Green Bay Road.

Joshua D. Rathod, 25, of the 1000 block of Central Avenue, Wilmette, was arrested around 3 a.m. on Feb. 28 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after an officer encountered him parked illegally near 10th Street and Central Avenue. Officers also issued him a citation for illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol.

Sarunas Prapuolenis, 73, of the 1600 block of Sheridan Road, Wilmette, was identified as the person who allegedly sprayed a jogger with some form of pepper spray or mace in the 1100 block of Michigan Avenue shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 14. Prapuolenis, who was identified with the help of video surveillance, turned himself in to the Wilmette Police Department on Feb. 5 to face one count of battery.

WINNETKA

INCIDENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
Fourteen Winnetka residents reported between Feb. 22 and March 5 that their identities had been used to fraudulently apply for unemployment insurance benefits.

HOME BURGLARY
A resident in the 500 block of Sheridan Road reported that someone broke into their home after damaging a door between 7:24 and 8:14 p.m. on Feb. 21. It was not known what may have been stolen or damaged at the time of the report.

IDENTITY THEFTS

• An Oak Street resident reported on Feb. 24 that someone had used their identity to open a bank account in November. There was no reported loss.
• An Asbury Court resident reported on March 1 that someone had used their identity to rent a car from Enterprise, later filing an accident claim in the resident's name, for a loss of over $8,600.

AMAZON SCAM
An Elm Street resident reported that someone claiming to be an Amazon support technician emailed them on Feb. 25 and scammed them into buying $1,400 worth of gift cards and forwarding the payment information in order to prevent their account with the online giant from being "hacked."

STOLEN CAR
Someone stole an unlocked car from the 1200 block of Forest Glen Drive between 8 p.m. March 4 and 7 a.m. March 5. The car, which may have had its key fob left inside, was found abandoned in Round Lake Beach later that day.

ARRESTS/CITATIONS

William Tilford Murdoch, 23, of the 600 block of Pine Street, Winnetka, was arrested shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration and leaving the scene of an accident. He was also issued a citation for improper turn. Police reported he crashed into a concrete barrier on the bridge at Oak Street and Green Bay Road, damaging his car and the railing.

Jesus Flores Jr., 19, of the 1200 block of South 58th Street, Cicero, was arrested around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 27 on a warrant issued by authorities in Indiana in connection with a weapons-related charge after officers conducted a traffic stop on a car in which he was the passenger.

A 22-year-old Bensenville man was arrested around 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 27 and charged with driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop near Tower and Green Bay roads. He was also issued citations for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and disobeying a traffic signal.

Kathy Ross, 55, of the 2700 block of Hawthorn Lane, Wilmette, was arrested around 9:30 a.m. on March 4 at the Winnetka Police Department on two counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of identity theft stemming from an incident first reported to police on Dec. 21. Officers reported Ross is accused of stealing approximately $4,500 from five victims in Winnetka, Chicago and Northbrook after gaining access to the billing information of customers at her work.

Earlier: Meth Delivery Charge; Blackmail Scams; Phone Threats; Officers Discover Warrant For Stranded Motorist: New Trier Area Police Blotters, Feb. 10 To Feb. 23

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