Police Beat - Wheeling man charged with marijuana possession

The blotter

Buffalo Grove

•Gregorio Gonzalez, 18, 431 E. Merle Lane, Wheeling, was arrested around 10:15 p.m. Aug. 8 and charged with possession of marijuana after an officer on patrol saw him sitting at the gazebo in Rotary Green Park, 301 Buffalo Grove Road, and found him with a small bag of marijuana, police said. His Mundelein court date was set for Aug. 24.

•Thieves stole a men's red mountain bike and a men's blue mountain bike between 5 p.m. July 29 and 4:30 p.m. Aug. 13 left unlocked in a bike rack in an apartment building bike room on the 0-100 block of Villa Verde Drive, police said. Total value was estimated at $400.

•Vandals punctured a tire on a 1994 Ford Econoline van and a 1987 Chevrolet sports van parked in a condominium lot on the 800 block of Miller Lane, police said. Total damage was estimated at $300.

Wheeling

•Burglars stole a wallet between 4 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 a.m. Aug. 7 out of an unlocked 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck parked on the 1000 block of Kingsport Drive, police said. The male victim found his wallet in a trash can at Horizon Park, but money, driver's license and a credit card were missing, reports stated. Total value was estimated at $150.

•Thieves stole the catalytic converter from a 1998 Chevrolet Express van, a 2002 Chevrolet Express van, and a 1999 Ford truck belonging to Temperature Maintenance Corp., 423 Denniston Court, police said. Total value was estimated at $1,800.

•Burglars stole an in-dash radio/CD player, money, and a suitcase containing clothes between 9 p.m. Aug. 4 and 7 a.m. Aug. 6 out of a 1998 Saturn SC3 parked in a lot at Tahoe Automotive, 1798 W. Hintz Road, police said. There was no sign of forced entry, reports stated. Value was estimated at $1,100.

•Burglars stole a wallet and two credit cards around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 3 out of an unlocked 1995 Nissan Altima parked in a driveway on the 700 block of Coventry, police said. Someone used the credit cards in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove and Prospect Heights; total charges were estimated at $244.

•Burglars stole a GPS unit and radar detector between 7 p.m. Aug. 2 and 7 a.m. Aug. 3 out of an unlocked 2006 Dodge Magnum parked at a home on the 1100 block of Valley Stream Drive, police said. Total value was estimated at $650.

•Burglars smashed the front driver's-side window and stole a GPS unit and an MP3 player between 5:50 and 6:15 p.m. Aug. 2 out of a 2006 Chevrolet Suburban parked in a restaurant lot at 550 S. Milwaukee Ave., police said. Total value was estimated at $800.

•Thieves stole a gray 2002 Chevrolet Blazer (plate number: 7708068) between 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 9:45 a.m. Aug. 5 parked in a driveway on the 400 block of Jerome Place, police said. A value estimate was not available.

•A man scammed a 79-year-old woman around 4 p.m. Aug. 4 when she allowed him to coat her driveway on the 0-100 block of Birch Trail, police said. He had arrived in a red, newer-model pickup truck with three boys, 9-15 years of age, reports stated. The boys helped the man spray a black liquid on the driveway; the job was completed in about 30 minutes, reports said. The man then asked the woman for $684, but she balked, so he lowered the charge to $600. The morning after a heavy rain she noticed the driveway was very slippery and realized she had been tricked, reports stated.

•Vandals spray painted gang graffiti on an unknown date but reported Aug. 10 on a brick wall and blacktop sidewalk at Hawthorne School, 200 Glendale, police said. Damage was estimated at $350.

•Vandals hurled a chunk of concrete around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 10 that smashed the outer pane of a 5-foot by 2-foot window near the front door at a home on the 0-100 block of Laurel Trail, police said. Damage was estimated at $500.

•Jennifer L. Keippel, 29, 1500 Harbour Drive, Apt. 1J, Wheeling, was arrested around 9:30 p.m. Aug. 10 and charged with felony retail theft after a security agent for Target, 1400 W. Lake-Cook Road, saw her push a shopping cart full of merchandise out a door and set off a security alarm, police said. Total value was estimated at $2,127.

•Omar A. Uriostegui, 33, 115 E. Dennis Road, Wheeling, was arrested around 2 a.m. Aug. 7 and charged with criminal trespass to motor vehicle, felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with license suspended after he took his neighbor's 1999 Mercedes to buy cigarettes; he returned it while an officer was interviewing the male victim and determined that Uriostegui was intoxicated, police said. His Rolling Meadows court date was set for Sept. 19.

•Burglars popped out the driver's-side door lock and stole a vacuum pump, two drills, Freon gauges, and a bag of hand tools between 3 p.m. Aug. 6 and 3 p.m. Aug. 7 out of a 2005 Chevrolet Express van parked in a condominium lot on the 1500 block of Sandpebble Drive, police said. Total damage was estimated at $1,800.

•Armando Chavez, 31, 823 McHenry Road, Unit C, Wheeling, was arrested around 8:35 p.m. Aug. 7 and charged with possession of marijuana and drinking on a public way after an officer saw him drinking beer on the 800 block of Colonial Drive and found marijuana in his pocket and in a small container on his key chain, police said. His Rolling Meadows court date was set for Sept. 20.