Porta Potty, Dumpster Torched Outside Middle School: Police Blotter

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

Porta Potty Up in Flames

A portable toilet was on fire by the south parking lot to O'Neill Middle School on the 600 block of 59th Street. An officer used his fire extinguisher at 3:45 a.m. from the squad car to put out the remaining flame. Nothing but ash remained from the portable toilet, according to a police report.

The fire department could not provide any information at the time of the incident on how the toilet caught on fire. A maintenance worker at the YMCA across the street said he saw the toilet engulfed in flames but he didn't see anyone in the area. Officers searched the area but didn't find anyone.

American Flag Stolen

An American flag and the pole it was attached to were taken from the front deck of a home on the 6700 block of Powell. Police said the incident occurred sometime between 9 p.m. June 11 and 5 p.m. June 12. The man reporting the theft could not provide any specific suspect information, but he did state that he heard a group of kids playing in the street in front of his house at about 1 a.m. The flag and pole were valued at $25.

MONDAY, JUNE 10

Dumpster Fire, Porta Potty Tipped

An officer on patrol at 1:24 a.m. noticed the inside of a $500 dumpster was on fire outside of O'Neill Middle School. The dumpster was located in the south parking lot about 200 feet south of the building. The Downers Grove Fire Department was called and able to extinguish the fire without incident.

Police checked inside and around the dumpster and did not find anything suspicious. While at the scene, an officer noticed a portable toilet in the same lot was knocked over, causing minimal damage. Officers searched the area but didn't find anything else.

Lawn Bag Fire, Door Splattered

Someone removed a paper lawn bag along a fence, placed it on a driveway and set it on fire on the 800 block of 61st Street. The incident occurred sometime between 12:53 a.m. and 7:53 a.m. Half of the paper bag was burnt away. 

There was more vandalism around the corner on the 6100 block of Washington Street. Someone threw orange paint on the glass to a resident's front door. At another home, someone used a sharp object to puncture the right rear passenger tire of a resident's vehicle parked in the driveway, causing $300 in damages. All three residents were willing to sign a complaint if a suspect is found.

Looking for more Downers Grove police news?

• Downers Grove Police Announce Seat Belt, DUI Crackdown
• Male Stranger Arrested After Entering Woman's Apartment: Police Blotter
• Man Arrested Twice in 5 Hours During Underage Drinking,Burglary Incidents
• Swastika Scratched onto Car, F-Bomb Painted on House: Police Blotter
• Off-Duty Cop Catches Late-Night Mailbox Smasher: Police Blotter
• DUI, Aggravated Assault: Police Blotter

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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.