Has Devil's Breath, 'the world's scariest drug,' made it to the suburbs? (Probably not)
It sounded plenty frightening.
A young woman walking through Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg is approached by a stranger who blows on her ear and neck. Moments later, the 22-year-old shopper feels dizzy and lightheaded.
She reports the incident to mall security and police, who look into it but can't find the man or evidence of anything criminal.
But word of the incident last week spread quickly over social media, including our own Everything Schaumburg Facebook group. There, similar accounts were told, some involving as many as three men. Parents were admonished to keep their daughters from going to the mall alone. Warnings were issued about beautiful young girls being abducted, never to be seen again. And words like scopolamine, burandanga and, most ominously of all, Devil's Breath were tossed out for public consumption.
So what exactly happened at Woodfield? We can't yet say for sure - Schaumburg police tell us they're still investigating - so we tried a little online sleuthing.
<h3 class="leadin">Familiar tale
Similar accounts of criminals using mysterious substances to incapacitate unwitting victims and then robbing them, or worse, have been reported in recent years from places as near as Kansas City and as far as Australia and South America. Most revolve around the so-called Devil's Breath, a substance also known as burandanga produced from a plant common in Colombia. It's similar to or the same as (accounts vary) the prescription motion sickness medication scopolamine.
The odorless, tasteless white powder has been described as "the world's scariest drug." According to the website drugs.com, ingestion can lead to "hallucinations, frightening images, and a lack of free will. Amnesia can occur, leaving the victim powerless to recall events or identify perpetrators."
It's been linked to crimes around the globe.
The London-based The Telegraph newspaper reported in 2015 that three were arrested in Paris on allegations they blew Devil's Breath into the faces of strangers, who would fall into a zombielike state, making them easy marks. Police in the Spanish resort town of Marabella investigated reports last year that tourists were given Devil's Breath, then raped or robbed. And in 2014, the U.S. State Department warned tourists that the drug was commonly used by criminals in Colombia, leaving victims unconscious for 24 or more.
"Unofficial estimates put the number of annual scopolamine incidents in Colombia at approximately 50,000," according to the warning.
<h3 class="leadin">Back in Schaumburg
So should we be worried that Devil's Breath has made its way to the 'burbs? Based on what we know of the Woodfield incident so far, probably not.
Sgt. Christy Lindhurst tells us detectives are looking into the matter, but she adds that much of the online scuttlebutt about the report is misleading. The woman, she said, never lost consciousness and did not claim that a substance was blown on her. The man who blew on her, Lindhurst said, did not wait to see if she fell unconscious. He didn't touch or talk to her, or even stop after they crossed paths.
"At this point, there's nothing criminal to report, and we couldn't find any evidence of criminal activity," Lindhurst said.
<h3 class="leadin">
Buddy update
Back in May, we told you about a Hanover Park woman's push for state legislation that would protect family dogs from vicious fellow canines.
Named for Donna Dary's beloved 8-pound Yorkshire terrier, the Justice for Buddy Act would allow authorities to declare someone a "reckless dog owner" if the dog is deemed dangerous for killing another dog and is found running at large twice within the next 12 months. The owner would have to surrender the dog to a licensed shelter, rescue or sanctuary, where efforts would be made to find it a new home, if possible.
Earlier this week, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the law, and it will take effect Jan. 1.
"I hope this legislation will prevent tragic deaths like Buddy's from occurring," said state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines, sponsored the bill in the Senate.
Dary became an advocate for the new law after two larger neighborhood dogs broke free from their yard and attacked Buddy outside his home in January 2017. He died later that day at an animal hospital.
Before the Justice for Buddy Act, the state had measures to deal with vicious dogs that maul humans, but none for those that attack other animals.
<h3 class="leadin">Is that a threat?
When is a threat not really a threat? Apparently, when it's not passed along to the intended target.
That's the gist of an appellate court decision this week reversing the conviction of a Round Lake Beach man found guilty of threatening two police officers in 2015.
According to court documents, Eric Arellanes was arrested by the Round Lake Beach officers Aug. 16, 2015, on a disorderly conduct charge after getting drunk and refusing to leave a friend's home. He ultimately was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation
That's where things get interesting.
While speaking with a therapist, the court record states, Arellanes said he wanted to shoot and kill the officers who arrested him. Seems like a clear-cut case of threatening a public official, and a Lake County judge agreed, convicting Arellanes on two counts of the felony charge and sentencing him to probation and time in the county jail.
No so fast, the appellate court said in a unanimous ruling handed down Monday. Prosecutors never presented evidence that the officers who arrested Arellanes ever knew of his threat - an essential element of the crime, justices said. Without it, his conviction cannot stand.
"If, in fact, (the officers) were aware of the threat against them, such knowledge would have been simple to prove at trial," Justice Michael J. Burke wrote. "But the state offered no such testimony and consequently failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant's threat was conveyed to the officers."
<h3 class="leadin">
Award winners
Last week we wrote about Lake Zurich's success in capturing a first-place award in the 2017-18 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge. Turns out they weren't alone.
The Arlington Heights Police Department also earned first-place recognition through the program, which lauds police agencies for their efforts to make their roads more safe.
"The Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge allows our department to analyze and demonstrate our success as an organization in traffic safety," police Cmdr. Greg Czernecki said. "Receiving this award, as evaluated by our law enforcement peers and traffic safety professionals, validates our ongoing commitment to developing innovative strategies in traffic safety."
<h3 class="leadin">Saturation Saturday
It should go without saying: Don't drive drunk or drugged.
But if you need extra encouragement, know this: State police and many local departments, including St. Charles, Lake Zurich and Wheaton, are taking part in "Saturation Saturday" this weekend. During evening hours, they'll have special patrols to seek drunken drivers, conduct roadside safety checks and dedicate personnel to DUI enforcement.
It's the kickoff to a two-week "Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign organized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
• Got a tip or thoughts on a cops and crime-related issue to share? Send an email to copsandcrime@dailyherald.com.