Vandalism at Doerhoefer Park Reported

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

Mailbox shattered

Someone passing by reported a shattered mailbox in the 5400 block of Lee Avenue at 7:23 p.m. July 25. Police responded and found metal pieces of the mailbox and mail strewn about the area. Police contacted dispatch who instructed the homeowner to come outside. According to the report, the resident told police he heard a loud explosion and believed a neighbor’s house exploded from a gas leak.

Construction equipment damaged

The dashboard and rear tailgate were damaged on a Kubota RTV500 4x4 between 6 p.m. August 4 and 9 a.m. August 5 at Midwestern University, 555 31st Street. A construction foreman believes the equipment was driven in the woods overnight because of foliage and scratches found on the vehicle. The foreman stated the equipment was missing a few days prior to this incident, but found in a forested area at the campus before a report could be filed. In addition to the scratches, police said the dashboard was cracked and the rear tailgate was dented. Damage is estimated at $300.

Champagne theft at liquor store

An unidentified man took a bottle of Bel Fon champagne valued at $50 from Binny’s Beverage Depot, 2010 Butterfield Road around 8 p.m. August 6. The wine manager called police on August 7 after viewing the theft on video tape. The manager stated an employee mentioned the store had sold a lot of Bel Fon champagne, which prompted him to check the previous day’s receipts and when he discovered the store had not sold any of the champagne, he viewed the tape. The manager told police the tape showed a man enter the store, take the champagne and walk around the store. The man pulled a Binny’s plastic bag from his pocket, put the bottle in the bag and exited the store. The manager described the man as being in his early 50’s, wearing a white shirt with light colored shorts and a black baseball hat.

Leaf blower stolen from porch

A Stihl leaf blower valued at $300 was taken from the front porch of a home in the 4500 block of Stanley Avenue between 3:40 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. August 8. The resident stated he left the leaf blower on the porch to cut the neighbor’s backyard grass and returned to find the equipment missing.

Selling magazines without a permit

Manuel J. Wynn, 24, of Jefferson City, Missouri was charged with commercial solicitation without a permit in the 6600 block of Blackstone Drive at 4:13 p.m. August 9. Police responding to a residence’s complaint, checked with the village and discovered Wynn was attempting to sell magazines for D&T Connection Inc., without a solicitation license issued by the village.

Yard artwork damaged

A pane of tempered glass art, valued at $2,000 was damaged between 12 p.m. August 8 and 1 p.m. August 9 at a home in the 1300 block of Maple Avenue. The artwork had four panels of glass but only one was shattered. The police report stated it appeared the damage was caused by a pellet gun.  

Concession stand vandalized

Graffiti was found on two walls of the concession stand and a sidewalk at Doerhoefer Park, 3920 Saratoga Avenue, having occurred sometime between 10 p.m. August 9 and 7:20 a.m. August 10. A panther football worker was restocking the concession stand and noticed graffiti on the building. Police said someone used black spray paint to write “Can’t keep me locked up, F--- police king killa” on the east wall and “F—king the police Killa” on the north wall. The letters “GDN A” were also found on pavement near the east side of the building. A park district employee, called to the park by police, stated he was at the park during the morning of August 9 and the DG Dolls softball league had fields reserved at the park until 10 p.m. August 9.

Drinking in public charges

Cecil A. Downs, 46, of Downers Grove was charged with drinking in public after an officer saw him drinking beer from a paper cup at 10:42 a.m. August 10 at the Fairview Depot, 5099 Fairview Avenue. An officer was patrolling the area due to recurring problems with public drinking at the station and saw Downs on a bench drinking from the cup. The officer stated Downs attempted to hide the cup and when asked if it was beer, Downs replied “yea, come on can’t you give me a break”.

Resident reports being a victim of email scam

A resident in the 2500 block of Wisconsin Avenue reported on August 10 that he was contacted by email on August 6 to send $1750 to Manila, Phillipines in exchange for $1900 in postal money orders. According to the report the resident received two postal money orders for $900 each, cashed them at the bank and wired $1750 to Manila. When he attempted to use his debit card on August 10 the bank stated the account had been closed due to the fraudulent money orders.

House and van egged

Eggs were thrown at a garage door and van in the 900 block of 60th Place sometime between 8 p.m. August 9 and 3:30 p.m. August 10.  

Roomba vacuums missing

Two Roomba vacuums valued at $699.98 were reported missing from Bed Bath and Beyond, 1548 Butterfield Road on August 10. A security investigator for the business told police a back door alarm sounded at 8:30 p.m. August 8 and 6:41 p.m. August 9, but no one was found in the area on both occasions. It was later discovered two vacuums were missing and the security investigator told police similar incidents had recently occurred at the chain’s Oswego, Mount Prospect, Bolingbrook and Geneva stores.

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.