Oak Park Police Blotter: Blue Line Armed Robbery, Panhandling Arrests

Burglary: A concrete saw was stolen Dec. 16 from a 2001 Ford Escape parked in the 6000 block of Roosevelt Road. Entry was gained by unscrewing the tailgate hinge with a pry tool. Estimated loss was $2,100.

Auto Theft: A 2006 Buick Lucerne, left running with the keys in the ignition, was stolen Dec. 16 from the 6100 block of North Avenue. Estimated loss was $15,000.

Theft: A flute was stolen from the band room Dec. 16 at , 325 S. Kenilworth Ave. Estimated loss was $435.

Residential Burglary: Two televisions, two laptop computers and an Xbox game system were stolen Dec. 16 from a home in the 900 block of South Humphrey Avenue. A witness told police that a suspect fled the home with a television and a computer bag and gave police the license plate number of the Mercury van the offender fled in. Police ran the plate and found it had been stolen.

Residential Burglary: A laptop, a camera with lenses and two gold pocket watches were stolen Dec. 16 from a home in the 1100 block of Wenonah Avenue. Entry was gained by breaking the rear door lock. Estimated loss was $2,650.

Retail Theft: Terrance James, 36, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft Dec. 16 after trying to take 15 boxes of Prilosec, worth $279.85 from Dominick’s Finer Foods, 259 Lake St., police said.

Residential Burglary: Dexter Devon Love, 19, and Marquita N. Bellmon, 18, both from Chicago, were charged with burglary Dec. 16 after being positively identified as the suspects earlier in the day took three bottles of wine valued at $55 from the enclosed rear porch of a home in the 100 block of North Taylor, police said.  

Armed Robbery: Jason Snow, 18, of Schaumburg, was charged with armed robbery Dec. 16 for an incident in which he pointed a black handgun at two friends, told them to stay in the bedroom and then fled the home in the 300 block of Wesley Avenue after stealing two laptop computers, police said. The incident took place Dec. 3.

Theft: A copper mailbox was taken sometime between Dec. 15 and Dec. 16 from the side of a home in the 600 block of Gunderson Avenue. Estimated loss was $500.

Burglary: Fredrick L. Sawyer, 40, of Westchester, was charged Dec. 17 with burglary after he was identified as the person who broke into the garage of a home in the 1100 block of South Home Avenue that day, police said. Nothing was taken in the incident.

Theft: Five stands of Christmas lights were stolen sometime between Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 from the front yard of a home in the 1000 block of North Lombard Avenue. Estimated loss was $50.

Theft: An air condenser unit was stolen Dec. 18 from a home in the 700 block of South Harvey Avenue. A witness told police the offender put the unit in a van and then gave officers a partial plate on the vehicle, which fled south in the alley. Estimated loss was $3,000.

Marijuana Possession: A 17-year-old Oak Park resident was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis Dec. 18 after officers found a clear plastic bag containing 3.5 grams of marijuana underneath the front seat of the car the teen was riding in, police said. Police said officers stopped the vehicle in the 300 block of Fillmore Avenue after a check of the plate revealed that it was registered to a different car. Police said the 17-year-old made some suspicious movements and then found the drugs. The teen was processed and turned over to his parents.

Aggravated DUI: Rebecca C. Kent, 27, of Oak Park, was charged with aggravated drunken driving and other offenses Dec. 14 after a witness saw her Ford Expedition hit several parked cars in the 300 block of Wisconsin Avenue and take off, police said. Kent was stopped in the 400 block of Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park, police said, and also was charged with drunken driving, driving on a suspended license and operating an uninsured vehicle. She refused to submit to any kind of testing, police said.

Criminal Damage: Three tires were punctured sometime between Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 on a 2004 Nissan Quest parked in the 300 block of South Austin Boulevard. Estimated damage was $250.

Outside Warrant: Steven Foster, 53, of Glendale Heights, was arrested Dec. 15 on an active DuPage County warrant for failing to appear in court on a retail theft charge, police said. Police stopped Foster in the Metra station in the 1100 block of North Boulevard for violating the law that bars smoking in public places, police said.

Armed Robbery: A cell phone, $20 and two packages of cigarettes were stolen from the rider of a CTA Blue Line train Dec. 15, when one man pointed a chrome plated handgun at him and demanded that he stand up while a second man searched his pockets and took the items. The victim left the train at Oak Park Avenue and both victims stayed on board and rode toward Austin Boulevard.

Solicitation: Curtis O. Jackson, 51, and John B. Burnell, 41, of Maywood, were charged Dec. 15 with soliciting in the roadway after they were begging for money and blocking traffic in the 1600 block of North Harlem Avenue, police said.