Downers Grove Man Charged With Possessing Pizza Delivery Man's Stolen Car

A Downers Grove man remains behind bars Monday after being accused of having a delivery man's stolen car, police said.

Joseph D. Grissom, 35, of the 3800 block of Douglas, is being held on $10,000 bond in the DuPage County Jail. He was charged with one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a blue 2002 Kia Optima, according to a police report.

Downers Grove police on Oct. 8 approached Grissom after he fit a description of someone that was seen near the Optima. The keys in his hand were confirmed to be the sole set of keys for the Optima.

The owner of the Optima saw his car on Oct. 8 had "mysteriously returned" to a spot outside the restaurant where he works in downtown Downers Grove, the report said. The car, valued at $3,000, was initially taken on Oct. 6.

When the owner saw the car reappear, he called police.

Reappearing Act

The owner looked inside his Optima and saw many items that weren't his, including fast food garbage and several items of clothing, the report said.

A group of unknown people that were hanging around the immediate area said they saw a man standing outside the Optima a few minutes earlier. He was described as:

• White male
• Long hair
• Goatee
• Wore oversized blue jeans

Police found a man fitting that description about 100 ft. away near the train station depot. His Illinois ID had the name Joseph Grissom.

Back to the Scene

Police asked Grissom to go back to the Optima and stand with additional police officers who responded to the scene.

"I confirmed with (the owner) that he has never seen Grissom before, he is not his cousin and he never gave anyone permission to take the Kia," an officer said in the report. "(The owner) advised he had no idea who 'Dickie' was."

The owner identified the keys in Grissom's possession as his. He was willing to sign a compliant against Grissom.

An assistant's state's attorney approved the possession charge. Grissom said it was OK to turn his belongings that he had in the Optima to his father, who came to the station for the pickup.

Grissom's next court date is Nov. 18, according to county records.

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Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. 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. We will verify and report the outcome.