Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Woman Loses Nearly $10,000 to Wire-fraud Scheme

Clarendon Hills police reports, June 7-13.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

Identity Theft

An unknown person used the checking account information of a resident from the 300 block of Coventry Court to open a debit card in Ohio and make $3,400 in unauthorized purchases between July 2011 and June 2012. The resident is following up with his bank in an effort to be reimbursed.

TUESDAY, JUNE 12

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Vehicle in Garage Burglarized

A resident from the 10 block of Woodstock Avenue reported that a phone charger and wallet were taken from his vehicle while it was parked unlocked in the home's open garage during the overnight hours of June 11-12. The wallet contained a money clip, credit card, and various other forms of identification. The estimated value of the missing items is $125.

Hit and Run

An unknown male in a black pickup truck hit the front end of another car in the parking lot at Jewel, 303 Holmes Ave., and then fled when the owner of the damaged car attempted to exchange insurance information at 4:31 p.m.

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Driving with Expired License

Elaine Nicholas, of the 300 block of West 57th Street in Clarendon Hills, was charged with driving without a valid license and operating an uninsured vehicle at 9:28 p.m.

Officers had pulled the 49-year-old Nicholas over near the intersection of 55th Street and Virginia Avenue when a random license plate check found that the registered owner of the vehicle had a license that expired more than a year ago.

MONDAY, JUNE 11

Nearly $10,000 Lost to Wire Fraud

A resident from the 300 block of Ruby Street reported losing nearly $10,000 in a wire-fraud scheme that took place June 8 and June 9.

An unknown person called the resident on the phone and posed as the victim's grandson. The caller said he had been arrested in Spain, and asked that she wire the money to Spain via Western Union in order to help him get out of jail.

The victim went through with the transfer. Police say once that's been done, it's very difficult to find the offender or the money.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 9

Driving with Wrong License Plates

William F. Creighton, of the 100 block of East 55th Street in Westmont, was charged with several offenses after he was stopped for driving over the center lane without signaling at 1:22 p.m. on westbound 55th Street near Richmond Avenue and police discovered the license plates on his car were not registered to it.

Creighton, 69, was charged with unlawful display of license plates, unlawful display of a registration sticker that belonged to a different vehicle, and driving on an expired driver's license.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8

Attempted Liquor Theft

Employees of Jewel reported that two unknown males attempted to steal from the store two bottles of Grey Goose vodka worth a combined $93 at 6:19 p.m. but were not successful.

The bottles were recovered by employees, and the two males ran away.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

Hit and Run

A resident from the 400 block of Ruby Street reported hearing a car crash outside his home at 7:27 p.m. When he investigated, he found that the driver's side mirror on his vehicle, which was parked in the street, was damaged.

There is no suspect information. The damage was estimated to be worth $300.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies, including the . Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor by emailing joe.odonnell@patch.com. We will verify and report the outcome. 


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