Hinsdale Woman Cited for Battery After Road Rage Incident

Battery—Cheryl Ann McCarthy, of 561 W. 58th St. in Hinsdale, was cited for battery after striking a male victim in the chin at a stop light on Ogden Avenue near Route 83 at 1:45 p.m. Oct. 28, according to the .

Deputy Police Chief Mark Wodka said McCarthy and the victim—a 38-year-old male from Brookfield—had both been driving down Ogden Avenue when McCarthy honked at the victim.

"The victim believes it may be related to him driving too slow," Wodka said.

When the two cars came to a stop at the red light near the ramp to northbound Route 83, McCarthy got out of her vehicle and approached the victim's vehicle, Wodka said. The victim rolled down his window and McCarthy hit him in the chin with a fist and drove off. 

The responding officer later contacted McCarthy. She came to the police department on the afternoon of Oct. 29 and was cited with a local ordinance violation for battery. She was released with traffic court information.

Criminal trespass to land—A female victim from the 300 block of Justina Street reported an unknown male looking inside her home’s windows and garage at 12:15 p.m. Oct. 28.

The suspect was described to Hinsdale Police as a male Hispanic in his late 40s or 50s with black, wavy hair. He stood six feet tall and was of medium build. He left the scene in a new-looking and large SUV. The case is currently pending.

Burglary to vehicle—An unknown suspect entered an unlocked and unoccupied Dodge Caravan and stole a $100 cell phone while the vehicle was parked in the 900 block of North Elm Street at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

There were no signs of forced entry.

Criminal damage to vehicle—A female victim reported to Hinsdale Police that the tires of her Toyota Tundra pickup truck were slashed while the vehicle was parked in the driveway of a home near Burlington Drive and Washington Street some time on Oct. 20 or Oct. 21.

The cost of the damage was unknown at the time of the report and there are no suspects.

DUI—Julia Caffarella, of 421 Lake St. in Downers Grove, was charged with DUI after Hinsdale Police officers responded to a rear-end accident on eastbound Ogden Avenue near Madison Street and observed Caffarella, who was involved in the accident, to be under the influence of alcohol at 6:07 p.m. Oct. 29.

Caffarella, 46, failed field sobriety tests and submitted to a breath test that indicated her blood alcohol content was over the legal limit. She was charged and released on bond to appear in court, according to police.

DUI—David H. Gennarelli, of 5725 S. Holmes Ave. in Clarendon Hills, was charged with DUI after Hinsdale Police officers saw his vehicle parked on the shoulder of northbound Route 83 near 55th Street and observed him to be under the influence of alcohol at 4:01 a.m. Oct. 29.

Gennarelli, 52, failed field sobriety tests and submitted to a breath test that indicated his blood alcohol content was over the legal limit. He was charged and released on bond to appear in court, according to police.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our towns, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor of this Patch site by emailing joe.odonnell@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.