Blotter: Attempted Burglary on Juli-Lyn; $20,000 Credit Card Fraud

The items below come from Northbrook Police Department reports. In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Erik J. Sundberg, 29, of Arlington Heights, was arrested April 3 at Dundee Road and Bittersweet Drive and charged with improper lane usage and driving under the influence, according to police.

BATTERY, CRIMINAL DAMAGE

John Michael M. Petrillo, 40, of Glenview, was arrested April 3 and charged with battery and criminal damage to property, according to police. According to the report, Petrillo refused to leave when asked to leave a home on Whitfield Road. He allegedly struggled with the resident and a mailbox was also damaged during the confrontation.

BURGLARY ATTEMPT ON JULI-LYN

A resident of Juli-Lyn said a man came to his door April 2 and told him that he had bought the house next door and was going to have to do some digging, according to police. The man then asked if he could check out the pipes in the resident’s bathroom and was told no. A second man then entered the home, but the resident’s wife confronted him. Both men then fled, with the first visitor leaving through the south side of the yard and entering a nearby van.

$20,000 CREDIT CARD FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT

A Farnsworth Lane resident told police that unauthorized charges totaling $20,000 had been made to his American Express card while he was on vacation. Before leaving for Mexico, he said, he and his wife were notified of a suspicious charge on the credit card and were told the account was frozen. While on vacation, he tried to use his card but the transaction was denied.

Upon returning April 2, he called American Express and discovered the fraudulent charges. He also was informed that someone had canceled his card and requested that a new one be sent in his name to an address in Riverdale, GA. He also received a notification from Comcast that his home phone number was being forwarded to another number without his authorization.

Police advised him to contact his financial institutions and have all the accounts flagged for identity theft.

FRAUD INVOLVING RE-CODED CREDIT CARDS

Melvin C. Christmas, 46, was arrested March 29 at and charged with three counts of unlawful use of altered credit cards and one count of unlawful possession of altered credit cards. According to police, Christmas was stopped while driving out of the mall with two other people in the vehicle. Police reported that he “admitted to be in possession of three re-coded credit cards and 69 items from various merchants” that were purchased using the cards.

$2,600 RETAIL THEFT AT NEIMAN MARCUS

Kathryn C. Matthews, 28, of Wilmette, was arrested and charged with retail theft after she left with $2,600 worth of merchandise without paying. 

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

An officer saw three juveniles enter the on Shermer Road and stick something behind a newspaper machine April 2. The object turned out to be a multicolored glass pipe used to smoke marijuana, according to police. When the officer stopped the three juveniles, all denied that the pipe belonged to them. But one admitted to putting it behind the newspaper machine. Police charged the 17-year-old boy from Northbrook with possession of drug paraphernalia.

UNLICENSED 16-YEAR-OLD DRIVER

A 16-year-old girl from Northbrook was stopped for a traffic violation at Willow Road and Quail Lane on April 1, according to police. She was charged with making an illegal right on a red light, driving without insurance and driving without being licensed.

$5,000 GOLD BRACELET, iPOD, BICYCLE STOLEN

An Antique Lane resident reported March 29 that she was missing a cuff-style 18-karat bracelet worth about $5,000, according to police. The woman said she had last seen the bracelet in early January and told police that she had workers unsupervised in all areas of her home during that time.

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A man reported that he forgot his iPod on a couch at Five Seasons Country Club on March 17 and when he returned the next morning, it was missing, according to police. The iPod was valued at $350. 

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A silver woman's 26-inch Gary Fisher bicycle was stolen while it was locked to a bike rack on the west side of the police station, according to police. The bike, valued at $350, went missing April 2.

SHAVING CREAM OBSCENITY

A Longmeadow Drive resident reported that an obscene word was written in shaving cream on his garage door. Also, shaving cream was spread over three vehicles in his driveway, according to police. The incident occurred March 26 and March 28, the resident said.