Police: Man Tried to Make Off with Red Bull

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

Thursday, June 2

11:52 a.m.: A resident in the 1500 block of Chicago Avenue reported identity theft after transactions totaling $2,314.95 were made with her credit card between  May 20 and May 23 in Arizona, California and Oregon. The woman was making a report at the request of the bank, which has closed the account.

Friday, June 3

9:06 a.m.: A storage shed window  in the 4400 block of Seeley Avenue was shattered between midnight June 2 and 9 a.m. June 3. The homeowner told police it is an ongoing problem, with every window of the two story structure shattered twice in the past six months. Police said the shed is close to Pierce Downer School property and trees obscure visibility from the home and school.

5:23 p.m.: Two hubcaps valued at $50 were reported taken from a car parked in Lot L, 801 Burlington Ave., between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. June 2. The owner said he noticed the hubcaps gone from the passenger side because he has to enter the car from that side due to a broken lock on the driver’s door. The car was parked in the middle of the lot near a crosswalk to the police station.

Saturday, June 4

3:11 p.m.: William J. Wehrman, 25, of Downers Grove was charged with retail theft and resisting an officer after allegedly taking nine 12-packs of Red Bull valued at $213.26 from Jewel Osco, 6215 Main St. A store security officer observed Wehrman put several 12-packs of Red Bull into his cart while in the liquor department and then move to the soda aisle where he put several more cases of the energy drink into his cart.

Wehrman walked by the register area and out the south doors of the store and was stopped by the employee in the parking lot. When told he did not pay for the merchandise, Wehrman responded that he did pay and continued to walk away. After the employee grabbed Wehrman by the arm, a struggle ensued during which the employee pushed Wehrman toward a cart corral to prevent him from fleeing.

Wehrman eventually pulled away, ran from the lot and police were called. An officer on his way to the store identified Wehrman from a description as he walked near 61st St.  When the officer approached, Wehrman walked away and eventually started running. The officer followed Wehrman on foot and caught him in the backyard of a residence in the 1000 block of 61st Street. The store security officer was not hurt in the struggle and told police he did not want to file battery charges.

4:14 p.m.: A homeless man, James R. Triphahn, 52, was charged with having open alcohol in public at the Fairview Depot, 5099 Fairview Ave. An officer was patrolling the area when several homeless people on the north side of the tracks began yelling to people on the south side of the tracks about police presence. The officer saw Triphahn get up from the ground, walk to the back of the depot and hide a can of beer in the bushes.

Sunday, June 5

3:01 a.m.: A limousine parked in a driveway in the 6700 block of Powell Street was egged between 8 p.m. June 4 and 3 a.m. June 5. The car owner’s brother said he did not see egg on the car when he came home during the evening, but noticed it in the early morning when he went outside to have a cigarette.

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 elaine@Patch.com so we can follow up on the case.