Homeless Man Walks Through Library Holding Knife

The following incidents and arrests were reported by the Downers Grove Police Department:

Aggravated Assault

Lijah Graham, 35, of 705 W. Liberty Street in Wheaton, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault after walking into and around the Downers Grove Library with a knife on April 14. A witness told police he saw Graham walk past him holding a pocket-type knife with an approximately four inch long blade in his right hand. The witness called police and Graham was seen going into the second floor men's room. When officers arrived, they saw Graham walking down the stairs and immediately had Graham face the wall and get on his knees. Graham was handcuffed and searched, but did not have the knife on him and the witness didn't know where it was. Graham was ultimately charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count for each officer involved in Graham's arrest. Graham was also banned from the library.

Criminal Damage to Property

Police were called to Arrow Gear in the 2300 block of Curtiss in reference to an unknown offender repeatedly flushing shop rags down the toilet, causing damage and clogging to the sewer system. From approximately March 19 to April 19, plumbers were called out four times to unclog the sewer system. After the third time, a maintenance employee started putting yellow caution tape over some of the bathroom doors to prevent people from using the bathroom during the night hours, but the caution tape also ended up being flushed, causing another clogging. To this point, an estimated $8000 has been spent on calling plumbers to unclog the sewer system.

Burglary from Motor Vehicle

An unknown offender used a tool to punch a hole in the driver's side door of a car parked in the 7300 block of Northgate on April 18 in an attempt to gain access to the car, but was unsuccessful. Damage to the car was estimated at $600.

An Asus laptop and Norton Software were stolen from an unlocked car in the parked in the Walgreens Parking lot on Lemont on April 22. The vehicle's owner had just purchased the items valued at $500 before going to Walgreens.

Theft Under $500

A Diesel watch and iPhone were stolen from a gym bag at the XSport Fitness on Finley on March 16. The owner put the bag on the side of the basketball court while playing and when he returned the items were missing. The items were valued at $450.

Battery

Jeffrey Sabia, 25, of the 7300 block of Canterbury in Downers Grove, was charged with battery on April 17 after an altercation between Sabia and his neighbor over Sabia playing his music too loudly. The neighbor was arguing with Sabia's mother when Sabia charged the neighbor and pushed him into a wall, causing the neighbor's head to hit the wall.

Possession of Drug Equipment

Kurt Jagen, 39, of 188 Sunfish Circle in Wilmington, was charged with possession of drug equipment on April 18 after coming into the police department to file a traffic accident report. When DGPD ran Jagen's name it was determined he was driving with a suspended license. Jagen was placed under arrest for the suspended license and a blue pipe was found on Jagen when police searched him.

Solicitor Complaint

Rickey Taylor, 35, of Youngston, Ohio, was charged with solicitation without a permit after trying to sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door without a proper permit on April 18.

Retail Theft

Fernando Fernandez, 27, of 126 South La Londa Avenue in Addison, was charged with retail theft after trying to leave Frys Electronics on April 22 without paying for a pair of headphones valued at $300.

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 at Robert.Bykowski@Patch.com so we can follow up on the case.