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Suburboddity: Five-finger recyling
The Town Center Kohl’s security team in Lincolnwood reported seeing a woman take a pair of Skechers sneakers out of a shoe box and put them on her feet. She put her old shoes in the box, put the box back on the shelf and left.
Updated: October 24, 2012 10:11PM
Free of charge, we offer tales of stupid criminals, strange crimes, odd news and otherwise silly stories from around the area.
Five-finger recycling
LINCOLNWOOD, JUNE 13 — The Town Center Kohl’s security team reported seeing a woman take a pair of Skechers sneakers out of a shoe box and put them on her feet. She put her old shoes in the box, put the box back on the shelf, and walked out in free $59.95 shoes.
A jerk, a whine, a loafer’s brick, and thou beside me, stripping in bitterness
NILES, JUNE 9 — A Clifton Avenue man, 19, was arrested for violating an order of protection after he had hung around outside a home in the 8800 block of Grand Street brandishing a brick and yelling at a resident. A man, 26, came out to discuss the matter. He told police that after a shouting match, the guy took off all his clothes and ran away.
Rug rat road rage
GLENCOE, JUNE 13 — A Glencoe Public Works employee reported children, age 3 to 6, were selling lemonade on the corner of Old Green Bay Road and Mary Street, and throwing the empty cups at passing cars.
Dazed and confused
MORTON GROVE, JUNE 9 — A Morton Grove Police commander, attending a barbecue on the 5800 block of Capulina Avenue with his family, noticed the scent of marijuana drifting over the fence. He looked next door, and saw two smoking teenagers, one of them a 19-year-old local youth who in May reported to police the burglary of a bag of marijuana from his house. That young man now refused to discuss the subject of marijuana. He was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His pal went free.
Cookie monster
BUFFALO GROVE, JUNE 7 — A former Meridian School student returned to her alma mater to give teachers homemade cookies in appreciation. After making the delivery, she still had cookies left over, and offered them to people she passed as she walked home. Someone found this suspicious and called the police. They declined to arrest her.
A crime, on paper
BUFFALO GROVE, JUNE 9 — Baristas at Starbucks, 1665 Buffalo Grove Road, were concerned that the sound coming from the menu board in their drive-through lane was muffled. They walked outside to see a paper house-for-sale ad taped over the speaker. They pulled it off, only to find another one in the same place the following day.
They could think of no response other than summoning the police.
An ace investigator arrived, and called the phone number on the ad.
“The resident stated that he hired a kid to post the signs,” the officer reported, adding that the homeowner promised to “tell him not to do so again at the Starbucks.”
Maybe the gondola is still crossing the Atlantic
NORTHLAKE, MAY 21 — A West Golfview Drive resident told police he wired a $1,300 down-payment on an unnamed vehicle advertised online. Nothing further was heard from the seller, who listed his address in Venice, Italy.
Inch worm
NILES, JUNE 5 — A Niles woman, 84, reported that a man in his 60s rang her doorbell at her home on the 8400 block of Betty Terrace. He said he had been sent by an insurance agent to measure the rooms in her house. Come back later, she said, when my husband will be home. He lowered his head and walked away. The spouse, upon return, called his insurance agent, who told him the company never sends people to measure clients’ homes.
The nasty emails don’t seem so bad anymore
NILES, JUNE 4 — A Niles man, 33, filed a harassment-by-electronic-means complaint against his ex-girlfriend on June 4. June 5, he reported that there were many scratches on one side of his 2008 Hummer.
Leave the change. Throw the canolli
OAK PARK, JUNE 5 — A Forest Park woman, enraged that a Chipotle cashier dropped her change on the counter, responded with a punch. At some point during the incident, the lady also threw food at the cashier. Police sided with the employee, and busted the customer, 27.
It works better when the car is moving, sir
SKOKIE, JUNE 9 — After curbing a car, police reported watching one of the passengers pick a marijuana blunt off a seat and hurl it out the window. A cop then walked over and picked it up and put it in an evidence bag. The passenger, 24, was charged with possession of marijuana and littering.
Rushing the fly-dumping season
BUFFALO GROVE, JUNE 6 — Someone dumped various items, including a Christmas tree, instruction manual and extra cords, on a resident’s driveway.
Speak to me softly with
thine lye
CLARENDON HILLS, JUNE 5 — A lawn on the 200 block of Ann Street was burned by grass killer in the form of obscene epithets.
A guy named Joe
WILMETTE, JUNE 13 — A woman working in a home in the 3200 block of Sprucewood Avenue answered the door to man who said the homeowner had spoken to him several years earlier about doing chimney repairs. She asked him for a business card. He gave her a flier with a phone number for “Joe” instead. She looked in the street, and saw something odd; why, she asked, didn’t his truck have license plates? He said he’d just bought it. He looked nervous as he left, she said. When she tried to call the number on the business card, voice-mail indicated a person named other than Joe.
Unclear on the concept
BUFFALO GROVE, MAY 31 — A man left his wallet in a backpack, and left the backpack on his bicycle. The backpack was stolen. The thief found the man’s debit card, and the piece of paper on which he had written the card’s PIN number. Then he emptied the account. The victim’s bank refused to refund him the money.
A soul-mate for the guy with the bike backpack
WILMETTE, JUNE 8 — A Glenview woman removed more than $10,000 worth of jewelry out of her safe-deposit box, then left it on the floor of her car while she was shopping in Edens Plaza. She said she thought she locked the doors, but she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until two days later that she noticed that there was no jewelry in the car anymore.
Siri’s cries for help go unheard
GLENCOE, JUNE 14 — A caddy at Lake Shore Country Club, 1255 Sheridan Road, reported falling asleep June 14 with his smart phone on his lap. The $499 device was gone when he awakened an hour later.
We know a caddy you might like
VERNON HILLS, JUNE 10 — A Lake Bluff man, 23, was charged with trespassing at White Deer Run Golf Club, 250 W. Greggs Parkway. He had been sleeping on the course.
Old enough to throw better
LAKE FOREST, JUNE 6 — Two girls, 18 and 17, were charged with disorderly conduct when they allegedly threw water balloons at car in the 500 block of South Green Bay Road, which caused the driver to lose control, almost crashing.
There’s still one golden ticket out there
VERNON HILLS, MAY 30 — A teacher at Hawthorn Middle School, 201 W. Hawthorn Pkwy., apparently called police after a boy, 12, swiped candy from his or her desk, reports say. The kid was charged with theft in a juvenile petition.
Sweet arrest
RIVER FOREST, JUNE 9 — Store security at Dominick’s, 7501 North Ave., called the police on a boy who stole four candy bars, but they wouldn’t press charges. He gave police several fake names, but was eventually identified as a 15-year-old wanted for robbery, armed robbery, aggravated battery and theft. He was turned over to the county juvenile detention center.
Another sweet arrest
OAK PARK, JUNE 5 — A Chicago boy, 17, was arrested and charged with retail theft after he stole 17 candy bars worth $44.93 from Dominick’s, 259 Lake St. Off he went to the detention center after a name check turned up a warrant for possession of a controlled substance.
