Police Blotter: Thefts, Battery and a Hate Crime

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 9

Retail Theft Charged

Antwain Watson, 33, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft after police said he stole $83.44 in merchandise from Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St. According to reports, security saw Watson take two printer cartridges from the electronics department around 5 p.m., then try to leave without paying. Security caught Watson as he exited the store.

Harassment by Telephone

According to reports, Timothy Quinn, 45, from Evergreen Park, was charged with two counts of harassment by phone after repeatedly calling a woman, saying he was looking for a friend. The woman reported the harassment in-person at the Evergreen Park Police Department at about 3:34 p.m., and later signed complaints for harassment around 5:36 p.m. The woman reported Quinn called her 11 times, after he was repeatedly told to stop calling her, police said.

Felony Deceptive Practice Charged

Marcus Quinn, 23, of Chicago, was charged with felony deceptive practice around 11:10 a.m. after police said he attempted to cash a check for $3,513 at PLS Check Cashers, 2507 W. 95th St. According to reports, when the store clerk called to identify the check, they found that there was no such check extension number. As police arrived, they said Quinn fled the store and was caught at 95th and Western Avenue.

Walmart Retail Theft

Dondiago Brown, 18, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft after police said he stole cosmetic products valuing $55.12 from Walmart. According to reports, security saw Brown in the store's health and beauty area, where he took three items at 4 p.m. Police said Brown then went to the food area, where he opened the packages, discarded them, and put the items in his coat. According to reports, Brown left the store without paying and was caught by security outside.

Battery Alleged

Police said Devin Griffin, 39, of Chicago, was charged with battery. According to reports, Griffin got into an argument with a woman who was next in line to pump gas at 5:51 p.m. at Speedway gas station, 3040 W. 95th St. Police said when the woman went to pay for her gas, Griffin followed her, argued, threatened to beat her. Griffin then kicked her car door, grabbed her jacket and threw her into the ground, police said. According to reports, while she was down, Griffin removed his belt and struck her with it. Police said a description of Griffin's car and license plate was given to police officers and he was stopped at the intersection of 87th and California Ave.

DUI, Traffic Charges Filed

Police said Michael Coleman, 28, from Oak Lawn, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, leaving the scene of an accident, fleeing and eluding, resisting arrest and failure to signal. Police reports said a woman driving southbound on Kedzie Avenue reported Coleman drove up on her left and said his passenger side mirror struck the rear of her car. Police said Coleman did not slow down.

Police said they responded at 9:27 p.m. to the accident at 94th and Kedzie, and were told the car Coleman was driving was last seen headed west on 95th Street from Kedzie. Police said they stopped Coleman at 95th and Lawndale Avenue, but he started to pull away as the officer was talking to him. He was uncooperative, so the officer reached into Coleman's car and shut the car off, police said. According to reports, Coleman refused to put his hands behind his back and be handcuffed, while struggling with officers. Reports said police took Coleman back to the station, where they smelled alcohol on his breath. Police said Coleman was uncooperative, abusive, had blood-shot eyes, slurred speech and refused a breathalyzer test.

Criminal Trespass to Vehicle

A man from Michigan failed to return his rental car, according to reports. Police said Quentin Wallace, 29, from Kalamazoo, MI, was charged with criminal trespass to vehicle at around 3:09 p.m. at 3499 W. 95th St. According to reports, police ran a random license plate check on a white Toyota that Wallace was driving, and found it was reported stolen from a South Holland Hertz rental car facility for failure to return. Police said they stopped Wallace in the 9500 block of Sawyer, confirmed the car was not returned, alerted Hertz, and charged him with the offense.

Felonies: Harassment by Phone and Hate Crime

According to police reports, Philip Jurczewski, 39, from Evergreen Park, called Village Hall and left a threatening and racially charged message at around 6:15 p.m., expressing anger his alley hadn't been plowed. Police said an employee reported the message to police Feb. 5 and Jurczewski later admitted making the call. The State's Attorney office approved one count of felony harassment by telephone for threatening great bodily harm, and one count of a hate crime for continuously using a racial slur.

Walmart Retail Theft

Kevin Johnson, 21, from Chicago was charged with retail theft after police said he stole $63.44 in merchandise from Walmart. According to reports, security saw Johnson entering the store, carrying a blue plastic bag at 7:32 p.m. He went into the electronics department, where he put two ink cartridges into his blue bag, police said. Reports said store security followed Johnson and saw him walk past all cash registers without paying. Johnson was apprehended outside the store, police said.

Retail Theft Charged

Alan Jones, 21, from Chicago, was charged with retail theft after police said he stole several Play Station 3 video games from Walmart. Police said store security saw Jones take the video games from the electronics department around 4:30 p.m., walk into the infant department where he hid the eight games in his jacket, and then attempt to leave without paying. Police said they caught Jones when he was exiting the store. According to reports, the eight video games were valued at $129.68.

Police blotter 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.