Police Blotter: Someone's Knocking ... and Punching

MONDAY, MAY 23

DUI at 154th and LaGrange

Alyssa R. Gomez, 27, of the 11600 block of 197th Street in Mokena, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the report, an officer saw Gomez's car swerve as it traveled south on LaGrange Road. Gomez told police she swerved as a result of an argument with her passenger. The officer smelled alcohol coming from the vehicle and Gomez failed field sobriety tests, police said. Gomez was also issued charges for driving without insurance and having a blood alcohol level over 0.08. She is due in court in Bridgeview on June 8.

SUNDAY, MAY 22

Saving It for Later

Devon N. Bolger, 20, of the 13500 block of Lincolnshire Road in Orland Park, was charged with retail theft. According to the report, Bolger was seen by a loss prevention employee at Carson Pirie Scott, in Orland Square Mall, taking several clothing items to an employee storage area on May 7. The loss prevention employee went into the room after Bolger had left and saw that all tags had been removed from the items. Bolger, a former store employee, came in on her own time on May 22 and went to the storage area with a shopping bag and removed the items, according to the report. She had confessed to eight similar thefts, police said. Carson's is not pursuing charges, but Bolger was charged by Orland Park Police and is due in court in Bridgeview on June 14.

SATURDAY, MAY 21

Fitting Into Skinny Jeans

Edelfa S. Cifuentes-Grijalva, 27, of the 9100 block of Lunar Road in Orland Park, was cited for retail theft. According to the report, Orland Square Mall Sears loss prevention saw Cifuentes-Grijalva take several clothing items to a fitting room and leave the store without paying for the items, which included jeans and jean shorts. Cifuentes-Grijalva is due in local court on June 14 at the Orland Park Civic Center.

Illegal U-Turn Leads to Cannabis Arrest

Jeremy A. O'Connell, 20, of the 1500 block of Willow Lane in Crete, and Kenneth D. Franklin, 20, of the 1000 block of Samson Drive in University Park, were cited for possession of cannabis. According to the report, an officer saw a car make a U-turn without signaling. During the traffic stop, the officer smelled cannabis coming from the car. The driver, who was issued only a traffic ticket for the illegal turn in the incident, said that a person was in the car earlier smoking but that person had left the car. A search yielded a total of 11 small bags of cannabis, police said. Seven of them were found under the passenger seat in a Taco Bell cup. Police also recovered a sealed bottle of vodka from the car. O'Connell was also cited for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor. The two men are due in local court at the Orland Park Civic Center on June 14.

Headed to the Boat Under the Influence

According to police, Robert E. Surin, 35, of the 9000 block of Croydon Lane in Orland Park, was stopped at 159th and LaGrange for making an illegal left turn. He was "frustrated that the light takes forever" and he was "headed to the boat (casino)," the report said. The officer reported smelling alcohol on Surin's breath, and a search of the car turned up a glass pipe and metal grinder commonly used for smoking marijuana, as well as an open container of vodka in the pouch of the passenger's seat. Surin failed field sobriety tests and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is due in court June 14 in Bridgeview.

FRIDAY, MAY 20

Argument Gets Physical

Police responded to a home in the 9800 block of Palos Springs Drive regarding an argument that had gotten physical between two men. During the argument, one man struck another in the face and had him in a chokehold, police said. According to the report, after making the arrest for domestic battery, police found a pipe and cannabis in the pockets of David T. LaPlaca, 26, of the residence. He was charged with domestic battery and possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. He is due in court in Bridgeview June 14.

Fisherman Caught

Javier Zamora, 34, of the 2300 block of Vernon Street in Blue Island, was picked up during a traffic stop for a warrant in LaSalle County. According to the report, the warrant dates back to 2010 for failure to appear in court on a count of fishing without a license. Zamora posted bond on the charge and issued traffic tickets.

THURSDAY, MAY 19

Battery Charges

Doroteo Mendoza, 20, of the 9900 block of El Cameno Real in Orland Park, was charged with battery. According to the report, police were called to the 9800 block of 144th Street regarding a broken window. The victim said that a silver Jeep was constantly driving by his home. Sometime later, Mendoza knocked on the victim's door and punched him twice in the face, police said. After the incident, Mendoza came back and threw a glass beer bottle at a window, breaking it. When officers confronted Mendoza at his home, he threatened officers. They made the arrest without incident, though Tasers were drawn, according to the report. During a run of Mendoza's name, it was found that he had two warrants for his arrest—one in Posen for driving on a suspended licenses and one from the Cook County Sheriff's Police for driving under the influence of alcohol. Mendoza also was charged with criminal damage to property and aggravated assault. He appeared in court in Bridgeview on May 19 for a bond hearing.

FRIDAY, MAY 13

Sandals Swiped

Mary L. Scott, 67, of the 500 block of West 16th Street in Chicago, was charged with retail theft. According to the report, loss prevention at Old Navy in Orland Plaza saw Scott take several items and place them in a bag and leave the store without payment. The items included several sandals and shirts, police said. Scott is due in court in Bridgeview on June 14.

Police report information is provided by 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.