A thief attempted to steal a compactor machine from the yard of a home in the 2100 block of Dobson Street. This among the stories in today’s daily crime bulletin from Evanston police.
Burglary
600 Davis
A burglar entered a restaurant in the 600 block of Davis Street through an unlocked door and stole cash between 9:30 p.m. Sunday and 10:03 a.m. yesterday
Criminal Damage
1000 Maple
Someone broke a window at a home in the 1000 block of Maple Avenue between May 26 and noon yesterday.
1900 Dempster
The windows of a 2000 Honda were shattered in a business parking lot shortly after midnight today.
Drugs
310 Main
Aldrick K. Boothe, Jr., of 725 Howard St., was arrested at 310 Main St. at 4:43 p.m. Friday and charged with possession of cannabis. He is due in court on July 5 at 10:30 a.m.
Theft
2100 Dobson
The theft of a compactor machine was attempted from the yard of a home in the 2100 block of Dobson Street around 3:40 p.m. yesterday.
1000 Central
Bicycles locked to a bike rack in the 1000 block of Central Street were stolen between 7:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. yesterday.
Traffic
1822 Kirk
Christian T. Hardison, 26, of 8348 S. Saginaw Ave., Chicago, was arrested at 1822 Kirk St. at 8:10 a.m. yesterday and charged with driving under the influence.
Asbury at Washington
Dania Velazquez, 20, of 2308 W. Arthur Ave., Chicago, was arrested at Asbury Avenue and Washington Street at 4:08 p.m. yesterday and charged with a traffic violation. She is due in court on July 24 at 9 a.m.
Incidents listed appear among the official reports of the Evanston Police Department. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt, which can only be determined by a court of law. Court appearances take place in Cook County 2nd District Circuit Court in Skokie.
DOBSON STREET COMPACTOR
I, too, live on the 2100 block of Dobson Street. One evening last week I noticed that my concrete birdbath dish had been stolen from my back yard. I was disturbed, partly because the birdbath had been a gift from my children, more so because I had been enjoying watching the birds in the morning, but mostly because someone had been in my yard overnight.
I called the police to report the incident, minor though it was, figuring that some kids were testing our block with a small incursion prior to trying something bolder. The officer on duty, a bored-sounding woman, told me that she couldn’t take a report and that I should call back the next day. At the time, I insisted that she send at least a patrol down our alley during the night. I don’t know whether she did.
Neither do I understand why she couldn’t–or wouldn’t–take a brief phone report. The theft of the compactor shows that nobody took my complaint seriously, and that led to a somewhat larger theft. My concern is–what’s next? An angry homeowner confronting some stupid kid?
Our block is in the southwestern corner of Evanston, comprised mostly of young families where both parents work and elderly folks, all of whom are asleep by 10 p.m. Easy pickin’s. Had that policewoman taken a phone report, perhaps whoever crunches the department’s statistic would have seen the beginning of a pattern. Perhaps they will now.