Elgin: Facebook sale
Police have charged an 18-years-old Elgin man with aggravated robbery after he is accused of taking a cell phone from a woman after agreeing to purchase it through Facebook, Elgin police said.
Bail for Jose J. Ramos Jr., of the 700 block of Stewart Avenue, Elgin, was set at $40,000 Wednesday, officials said.
The victim, an Aurora woman, told police the suspect had contacted her about an iPhone 5S she attempted to sell through Facebook. She told police she went to the 0-100 block of Union Street Saturday to sell the phone to a person who had contacted her on the social media site. The suspect then indicated he had a knife and grabbed the phone before running away, police said.
Ramos was later arrested in the 1200 block of Maroon Drive.
The Elgin Police Department reminds residents that they can use the police station lobby for completing any on-line transactions to reduce the opportunity for a crime to occur.
Elgin: Robbery involving two stores
Bail was set at $100,000 Wednesday for an Elgin man accused of robbing, or attempting to rob, two convenience stores in the past few days and who fled police when they went to arrest him.
Nathan L. Johnson, 24, of the 800 block of South Liberty Street, was arrested near the scene of the second incident a short time later, police said. He was charged with felony counts of aggravated robbery and attempt aggravated robbery, Elgin officials said.
At about 11:20 a.m. Sunday, police were called to the 400 block of Bluff City Boulevard for an armed robbery at the first convenience store.
The store clerk told police that a man entered the store, implied he had a handgun and proceeded to take an undisclosed amount of money from a cash register before fleeing the store on foot, police said.
At 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to a store on the 600 block of Dundee Avenue for a second armed robbery report. Again, the store clerk told police that a man entered the store, implied that he had a handgun and demanded the clerk give him money from a cash register. The clerk, however, said he had problems getting the register open and the suspect then fled the location without taking anything, police said.
No one was injured in either incident.
Detectives from the Elgin Police Major Investigations Division reviewed video surveillance footage from both robberies and noted the subject was the same person. They were able to get a description of his vehicle from the footage as well, police said.
Shortly after, detectives saw the vehicle in the area of Raymond Street and Bluff City Boulevard being driven by a man who matched the description of the offender in both robberies.
Detectives attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver ran, police said. He was taken into custody following a short foot pursuit, police said.
Elgin: Juveniles charged
Three Elgin juveniles have been charged in a series of car thefts and car burglaries in Elgin and Bartlett in the past few weeks, Elgin police said.
The three — 14 year olds and one 16 year old — targeted vehicles that were left unlocked with valuables in plain view, police said. The stolen vehicles had keys left in the unlocked cars, police said.
The incidents occurred in August and September. One of the cars was reported stolen in Bartlett but was recovered in Elgin, police said.
Following the arrest, Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda reminded citizens of the police department’s “If You Like It, Lock It” public awareness campaign to help reduce motor vehicle burglaries and thefts. The campaign encourages residents to lock their vehicles at all times to reduce the risk of theft.
Carpentersville: DUI
Lori J. Koller, 38, of the 2200 block of Flagstone Lane, Carpentersville, was charged with felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence and misdemeanor DUI and child endangerment charges following a traffic stop Wednesday, Sept. 23, Carpentersville police said.
According to police, Koller had previous DUI convictions, was driving on a suspended or revoked license, and had a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. Bail was set at $50,000 and she was given an Oct.7 court date.
