Results tagged “theft”

• There's still some skepticism as to whether or not President Obama will make the trip to Copenhagen on the eve of the IOC's October 2nd vote for the 2016 Olympic games.
• Speaking of the Olympics, in the latest edition of one poll that measures where city's rank with their bids, Chicago is now second behind Rio.
• WBEZ talked to local Congressmen to see where they stand on health care reform in the wake of President Obama's speech last night.

An abandoned and "mutilated" ATM machine was discovered some woods near Joliet. Authorities have not determined - but are investigating the possibility - that it might be the ATM machine stolen with ninja-like stealth from Millennium Park last week. Officer Robert Perez of the Chicago Police Department News Affairs Office told the Sun-Times, "We don't know if this is connected to the one they found." Honestly, we hope this ATM machine - which was "cut open with a cutting torch and was in several pieces," according to police - isn't the Millennium Park one. It'd be such an amateurish, disappointing conclusion to a pretty nifty heist (again, not that we condone stealing an ATM machine).

A South Side man believed to have been responsible for at least nine bank robberies along the Red Line this year was arrested by the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force on Friday.

An increase in robberies and gang members hanging out in various parts of Rogers Park has area residents worried.

An entire ATM machine was stolen Millennium Park sometime early this morning. Someone used an ATM card to access the vestibule at 11 N. Michigan Ave and make off with ATM machine from the Park Grill. No signs of forced entry were seen and police are checking surveillance tapes to see if they can find any clues. A Central District police lieutenant told CBS 2, "They took the entire machine." You know what? We do not condone theft in the least but if you can manage to steal an entire ATM machine and leave no trace of how it was done, kudos to you; you deserve to keep it.

A man accused of robbing at least eight banks - mostly located along the Red Line, hence the name - appears to have struck again. The bank hit this time was Charter One Bank branch at 33 W. Grand Ave., near the Grand & State Red Line stop. Police think the man uses the CTA as his getaway. In March, police offered up to $10,000 in reward for information leading to his arrest. The Red Line Robber has been described as, "a male, 30 to 35, 6 feet to 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds with a medium build and beard. He has worn sunglasses, a dark colored baseball cap and a black bomber jacket during all of his robberies." Anyone with information could and should contact the Chicago FBI at 312-421-6700.

A rare viola that was stolen and held for ransom has been recovered. Henry Cuevas, 25, was arrested for snatching the $260,000 1877 Gand and Bernadel viola from its owner. According to Chicago Breaking News:

The woman and a companion went to meet up with two acquaintances of the companion, one of whom was Cuevas, on Tuesday, police said. They said the four were sitting in a vehicle and talking when the woman began to discuss her viola.

Continue reading "Stolen Viola Recovered"

It seems there's a happy ending for the girls who had $20 allegedly swiped from them by the Baskin-Robbins Bandit. Yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson for Baskin_Robbins said the girls would receive an ice cream party and a gift certificate of a yet-to-be-determined amount. Police are still asking for the Baskin-Robbins Bandit to come forward as she's reported to be a regular customer and they want to clear up any misunderstandings if it was an accident. Wait! This happened to us, too! Several Chicagoist staffers were at a Baskin-Robbins yesterday when this man took our money when we weren't looking. This is what he looks like. Where's our ice cream cake?

We know there are more serious things going on in the city (and the world) but sometimes we read a story and just shake our heads in disbelief. This morning, that story was from the Southtown Star explaining the current plight of the Blue Island Little League, victims of a weekend burglary that saw the theft of $3,000 worth of concessions and equipment. The theft happened at a concession stand at Rauch Field, located at 125th Street and California Avenue. League president Jaime Jalomo told the paper, "You name it, they took it. They took candy, Gatorade, boxes of hot dogs, nachos, our public address system, the stereo, pizza ovens and pizzas. They even took our extra baseballs."

Well, crap. Remember the teen who made headlines and caused headaches for impersonating a Chicago Police officer a few months back? At the time, it seemed almost funny (if a little scary) and we were intrigued by a kid who, as relatives attested, just really wanted to be a police officer. Right on this very website, I said:

Estera Bulbucan is learning the hard way you can't just take an ambulance. The Des Plaines woman allegedly swiped an ambulance from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge yesterday evening and went cruising, winding up at Millennium Park where things got even more fun. According to CBS 2:

Times may be tough, but robbing a kid? Really? Police arrested Dennis Lares (pictured right) last night for robbing a kid, either 9-years-old or 11-years-old, depending on which media outlet you read. The incident happened in the Austin neighborhood last night around 10:30 p.m. when Lares saw the kid carrying money and robbed him of $23. The boy, who was unharmed in the incident, then flagged down a police car. Officers chased Lares on foot and, when they caught him, he told him he did it, “Because I didn’t have any money.” A seach of Lares brought up four stolen credit cards and, in the end, he was charged with one count of robbery and four counts of theft of lost or mislaid property.

WBBM is reporting that over $600 worth of Girl Scout cookies were recently stolen from the Carlisle Community Center in Carlisle, Ind. While not the first (or dumbest) Girl Scout cookie caper, this swindle seems to be the largest and most puzzling in recent memory. The thieves will be disappointed to discover that this year there are two to four fewer cookies in each box, due to the rising costs of transportation and baking (oh man, suckers!). And while Indiana police have yet to disclose any leads, don't fret; our crack Chicagoist sleuths have identified a person of interest [NSFW language]. Also not mentioned in the report, the 27 boxes of Trefoils remained untouched.

Have you no shame, William Lofthus? Lofthus, of Plainview, pleaded guilty to stealing $400,000 from retired nun Bernice Laurins (now deceased). Lofthus was Laurins' trustee and stole the money by "by writing unauthorized checks from her account, using her bank account to pay his credit card bills, and transferring funds from her bank account to his." The thefts took place over a period from 2000 to 2005. Lofthus faces up to 15 years in prison but we imagine that won't come close to the spanking he'll get from St. Peter when he's turned away from the Pearly Gates.

A car theft early this morning on the Northwest Side has prompted an Amber Alert because the car's owner's 7-month-old infant was asleep in the back of the car. The theft happened around 3:30 a.m. at 4242 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. The car is a light green 2003 Dodge Caravan with an Illinois plate number X533131. The mother had left the car running and unlocked. We're not even going to bother jumping to conclusions or questioning the mother's actions. At least until the child is returned safely.

Did crime take a holiday to celebrate the home town senator's election? Nope. Among some of the criminal mischief going on about town:

Approximately 120 tons of road salt (also known as a "shit-ton") has gone missing from an Aurora storage facility since October 1. The total value of the stolen salt comes out to around $32,000.

The police report noted how difficult the theft would have been from a locked facility. Twelve large concrete blocks and a tarp had to be moved to take the salt, which likely would have been moved by truck, police said.

Continue reading "Salt Unseen"

They took his van... and his puppy, too. Well, technically not a puppy, but a 13-year-old black labrador named Lilly was in Gene Voss’s delivery truck when it was stolen from his Naperville business.

One would-be entrepreneur is having a rough start to his week after he unsuccessfully tried to unload over 13 tons of frozen pizzas to a salvage company. Anthony Herbert Lee was hired to transport 3,000 cases of Stouffer's frozen pizzas from Nation Pizza in Schaumburg to Springville, Utah. Along the way, Lee ran into mechanical trouble with his truck and, when it became clear he'd miss his delivery deadline, he tried to sell the pizzas to Rockford-based Transportation Salvage. The salvage company was suspicious and, upon investigation, discovered the pizzas belonged to Nestle, Stouffer's parent company. Indiana State Police were brought in and Lee was arrested. He's currently being held in Lake County Jail thanks to a 10-year-old larceny warrant while new charges are mulled.

We guess this is what happens when you live in the suburbs. Oak Lawn has recently had a rash of theft. The object, manhole covers. There's been eight stolen since mid March, but authorities think it's more than just a prank.

A two-month old Pomeranian pup weighing less than two pounds was stolen yesterday from a Naperville Petland store. The pup, which has an identifying microchip imbedded in between his shoulders, has set off the equivalent of an “Amber Alert“ for pets. HelpMeFindMyPet.com has sent a message to veterinarians, pet stores, and other animal-related businesses within a 50-mile radius.