A look back at oddball suburban police cases of 2016

A car driving down the road with a tree embedded in its grille. An epic beer run that lands its protagonist behind bars. A drug suspect leaping into the arms of law enforcement after double-crossing a cartel. A serial foot fondler facing serious time in the pokey.

The year that's nearly over saw its share of surprising, odd, bizarre and, in some instances, even humorous cases pop up on suburban police blotters and in local courthouses.

Here's a look at some of the unusual cops and crime items that caught our eyes in 2016:

• Patrol officers, especially those working the late night/early morning shifts, get used to seeing all sorts of crazy things on the highways. But a Lincoln Town Car cruising down the road with a 15-foot tree stuck in its grille was a new one.

That's what a Roselle officer encountered on Jan. 23. Police say 55-year-old Maryann Christy of Schaumburg hit and uprooted the tree and then - oblivious to its presence and the fact her air bags had deployed - kept trucking along.

Christy, who told police she didn't know when or where she hit the tree, eventually was stopped and charged with driving under the influence, driving an uninsured motor vehicle and (of course) having an obstructed windshield. Video of the traffic stop went viral worldwide after Roselle police posted it on their Facebook page.

In July, Christy pleaded guilty to a DUI charge and was sentenced to a year of court supervision, along with some hefty fines and court fees.

• We can't imagine many things worse than being locked up in prison for decades. Getting on a drug cartel's bad side might be one of them.

That's where Chavez Esquivel of Elgin found himself in November, when he called Mount Prospect police to confess he had a duffel bag packed with more than two pounds of cocaine and $29,800 cash.

Esquivel told cops he was planning to steal the drugs and money from the cartel and run away, but thought better of it - and decided to turn himself in to law enforcement - after learning of cartel threats against his life.

We're not exactly sure what other reaction he expected from the cartel.

The 39-year-old now faces charges that could land him in prison for up to 60 years if he's convicted.

• This was no ordinary beer run. Thomas Gibbons, 48, was sentenced to three years behind bars in January after admitting he swiped 1,868 cases of beer - that's nearly 45,000 cans - from a McHenry-based Miller distributor.

The Greater Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force used a GPS system to track the ill-gotten ale to a commercial property in Bensenville linked to Gibbons.

• Back in his native Florida, Ignatius Pollara's crafty shoplifting skills earned him the nicknames "Toys 'R' Us Kid" and "Lego Bandit" after he was convicted of pilfering more than $2 million in Lego sets and other toys from the Toys 'R' Us chain.

In DuPage County this year, the 50-year-old has earned a reputation mostly for goofy legal filings and bizarre courtroom rants - tirades that have earned him nine months of jail time for criminal contempt of court.

Arrested in 2015 on charges he stole paintbrushes and a box of pencils from a Lombard Hobby Lobby store, Pollara caught the eye of DuPage County court reporter Justin Kmitch in February, when he filed court papers forcefully demanding the return of items he claims police unlawfully seized, including a Hearst Castle plush blanket and a "Mr. Froggy" stuffed animal.

• Forget what the commercials say: Staying in a hotel overnight won't necessarily make you smarter. Case in point: Martin P. Bloomberg of Palatine.

In March, Bloomberg was busted for running a meth lab out of a Grayslake hotel room. His arrest came after a tipster called police about a man wearing a yellow hazmat suit - picture Walter and Jesse from "Breaking Bad" - around the hotel.

Bloomberg, 40, pleaded guilty to a drug charge in September and was sentenced to 18 months of work release jail.

• We aren't here to judge anyone's personal tastes, but there's a time and a place for everything. And when you've got a foot fetish, that place isn't a public library.

Omar Carlton is learning that the hard way.

The 45-year-old Aurora man faces two to five years in prison when sentenced early next year for felony aggravated battery convictions for fondling the feet - often with his own bare foot - of women at the Warrenville Public Library and the North Central College library in Naperville.

Carlton, who pleaded guilty in October, already had been banned from libraries in Glen Ellyn, Wheaton and Naperville for similar behavior when the latest charges came about.

• Most of us did foolish things as teenagers, but a Naperville teen took a bad idea way too far when he sent at least seven people phony tollway violation notices - earning himself seven felony forgery charges in DuPage County juvenile court this year.

The teen admitted guilt Dec. 1 and now has a conviction on his record. Fortunately for him, his juvenile record is not public.

Have a happy, safe and crime-free New Year, everyone!

• Got a tip? Have a question? Please email Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call our tip line at (847) 427-4483.