Blotter Spotter: Crotch-Kicking and Under-Ringing

Security Guard Gets Late-Night Kicks

DOWNERS GROVE, Jan. 14—A Joliet man was charged after allegedly kicking a security employee multiple times in the crotch at Rita's American Roadhouse on Butterfield Road around 2:30 a.m. The man wanted to get into Rita's to use the bathroom, but Rita's policy prohibits new people entering after 2 a.m. so he was turned away. The man then started to urinate on the patio near the front entrance and was escorted by security to the vehicle he had gotten out of, which is when the battery allegedly occurred. Aric Vandermeir, 21, of 2110 Dartmoor Drive in Joliet, was charged with two counts of battery.

Unadvertised Specials

ST. CHARLES, Jan. 12—Police arrested two Wal-Mart employees for allegedly not ringing items during checkout. Devonda L. Patterson, 24, of 624 N. Lincoln Ave., Geneva, was arrested for retail theft, according to police. Staff at the store told police Patterson was videotaped scanning alcohol and beer, lotion, hairbrushes, perfume and clothing, totaling $360.01. But she accepted $13.11 in payment. A second employee, Olga Maria Pena, 20, of 614 S. Neltnor Blvd., West Chicago, also was arrested for retail theft, for "under-ringing" items—$202.54 in makeup, baby formula, perfume and other cosmetics—and being paid only $2.54. Wal-Mart staff told police eight employees were under investigation for theft.

Why the Dutch Masters Painted So Slowly

HINSDALE, Jan. 11—A 31-year-old woman was found to be in possession of a cigar containing a mix of tobacco and cannabis during a traffic stop for driving with expired plates near Ogden Avenue and Madison Street at 10:02 a.m. Amanda T. Papuga, of 29 Croydon Lane in Oak Brook, was charged with possession of cannabis and driving with an expired registration. She was released to appear in court.

Hungry Red Lips

DOWNERS GROVE, Jan. 10—A woman in her 60s with reddish orange hair and extremely red lipstick paid only $6 for a $10.28 sub sandwich she ordered from Subway on Main Street. When she was told she had to pay the rest, the woman reportedly said, “You're stupid; it's too much money. I'll come back tomorrow and give you the rest.” She put down $6, grabbed the sandwich and left the building.

Late-Night March of the Shrubbery

CLARENDON HILLS, Jan. 9—A resident on the 100 block of Harris Avenue reported that at around 3 a.m. she heard kids outside her home and woke up to find several bushes of hers "carefully removed from the ground" and sitting 10 feet away from their normal location. The complainant put the bushes back and requested extra police watch.

Forced Fruit Snacks

LA GRANGE, Jan. 9—A 13-year-old boy told police that a man in his 20s wearing a dark jacket forced him to buy fruit snacks from him at La Grange Road and Burlington Avenue at about 8:50 p.m.

Thinking Outside the Box, He Gets Outside with the Box

DOWNERS GROVE, Jan. 9—A man walked into the Best Buy on Butterfield and tried to leave the store with a shopping cart containing an Apple iMac computer valued at $1,124 and an Xbox 360 valued at $299. He was stopped by an employee who told him he needed to produce a receipt to leave the store. The man said his wife had the receipt and she was in the bathroom. The man waited until the exit security people were distracted and then took off.

Don't Believe Everything You're Told

LA GRANGE, Jan. 8—A resident of an apartment on the 100 block of east Cossitt Avenue reported someone rang the doorbell at about 5:14 p.m. and announced, “Police, open up.”

She Didn't Expect Him to Call

LA GRANGE, Jan. 7—A 31-year-old La Grange man told police he met a woman at a Countryside bar. He brought her home and later caught her trying to steal his cell phone. 

Special Guest for Going-Away Party

BATAVIA, Jan. 6—An officer was requested at a business on the city's east side at 7:43 a.m. The officer stood by while management terminated an employee, according to a police report. The terminated employee left without incident.

Testy Pedaler

LA GRANGE, Jan. 6—A Western Springs resident told police about a confrontation with a bicyclist at Wolf Road and Hillgrove Avenue. The bicyclist was wearing black clothing, rode a blue bike, claimed he was a police officer, and said he “can ride his bicycle wherever he wants.”

This Old Roundhouse

DOWNERS GROVE, Jan. 4—A rejected handshake led to a fight between representatives from competing home restoration companies. Both men—former coworkers—were on the 5400 block of Fairhaven Court to solicit business from a homeowner recently affected by a fire.

No Check, Please

BATAVIA, Dec. 31—A party of about 10 people were asked to leave a restaurant and didn't pay their $448 bill on New Year's Eve. The incident happened at about 10:20 p.m. at a restaurant on the 1900 block of Mill Street, according to a police report. The group was "rowdy" in the bar during the wait for their table, the complainants said. Once seated, the group complained it was taking too long to get their food, then complained the food was cold, the report said. The group was asked to leave and left without paying. The restaurant staff was able to get a couple of license plate numbers as the people were leaving. The restaurant would like the bill paid.

Uncovered Man Uncovers Locker Theft

DOWNERS GROVE, Dec. 30—A patron at the YMCA on 59th Street told police he came out of the shower and saw a man standing at his open locker holding his wallet. Asked what he was doing, the man said he thought it was his locker. The patron grabbed the wallet from the man and noticed $500 in cash was missing. Asked where the money was, the man said somebody else was standing by the locker earlier. The man began to leave the locker room. The patron yelled out for somebody to stop the man, but he couldn't chase him himself because he was naked. The front desk checked names of club members who left at the time of the incident. The patron was sure he locked the locker, but it was open and the lock missing when he came out of the shower. Later, another member advised staff that his locker was entered, and his watch, $200 and a credit card were missing. The lock was also missing.

Unwanted Extra Interest from Bank Teller

ST. CHARLES—A Chase Bank teller was cited for disorderly conduct after allegedly using bank information to text lewd messages to a customer, according to a St. Charles police report. Guiseppe Roberto Merola, 22, of 905 Academy Lane, West Chicago, was arrested after a customer told police his fiance had been receiving text messages of a sexual nature. After determining it wasn’t a joke being played by a friend, the fiance asked the unknown person to send a picture. She was able to determine from the picture that it was the teller, Merola, from a St. Charles bank branch. Chase reportedly suspended Merola while the bank investigated the incident.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our town, 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 so we can follow up on the case.