Crime & Safety

Regional Crime Reports: School Bus Crashes Into House and More

The following is a selection of police-related items reported in area Patches recently. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Wheeling

April 24

A school bus was sent careening into a Wheeling neighborhood April 24 after colliding with a Honda Civic near Dundee Road and Schoenbeck Road.

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No children were on the bus at the time. The , said Duane Madsen, a school crossing guard who saw the crash. Madsen said the Civic came through the intersection on Dundee Road.

The bus hit the front of the Civic, went off the west side of Schoenbeck, plowed through a fence and line of shrubbery . The drivers of both vehicles were taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.

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Long Grove

April 24

Officials are

The Long Grove Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of smoke on the 5100 block of Arlington Heights Road at 9:28 a.m., according to a press release from Lake County Sgt. Karen Kates. When they arrived, they found a garage fire.

When the fire had been extinguished, "investigators discovered what is believed to be ," Kates said.

The man was later at Arlington Park.

Lake Zurich

April 20

Margaret M. Ferguson, 51, of 574 S. Benton St., Palatine, was charged with retail theft April 20 on the 800 block of South Rand Road. Police said Ferguson took nearly $60 worth of merchandise into the store's bathroom and then attempted to return the items at customer service. She was released on a $120 personal recognizance bond pending a May 4 court date.

April 21

Ezequiel Garcia, 42, of 201 S. Buesching, No. 204, Lake Zurich, was charged with assault April 21 on the 200 block of South Buesching Road. Police said they received complaints that Garcia displayed a knife in a threatening manner, and that Garcia drove his vehicle toward children and again displayed the knife. He also was cited with reckless driving and driving while license suspended. He was released on a $1,500 personal recognizance bond pending a June 1 court date.

Barrington

April 16

A resident of the 800 block of Fairfax Court, Barrington, reported suspicious activity on April 16 when a plastic bag of medication capsules and white powder were found in their mailbox.

April 20

A theft of clothing totaling about $2,500 was reported at Peter Daniel in the Icehouse Mall on April 20.

Grayslake

April 7

Scott A. Howell, 48, of 7 Esther Street, Crystal Lake, was charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license for a second DUI, and improper lane usage. He was stopped on April 7 near Washington Street and Atkinson Road. He was released on $1,500 bond pending a court date of May 16.

April 8

Christopher K. Hamic, 22, of 17250 Huntington Circle, Grayslake, was charged with driving under the influence, DUI with a blood alcohol content of .08 or more and following too closely. He was stopped on April 8 near Route 120 and Hainesville Road. He was released on a $1,000 bond pending a court day of May 8.

Palatine

April 12

Steven J. Penfold, 20, of Palatine, was charged with DUI, failure to provide information after striking a vehicle or other property, illegal transportation of alcohol and improper lane usage in the 500 block of Benton Street at 1:43 a.m. after a resident reported that a vehicle had struck his house. Officers located the vehicle two blocks from where the accident occurred. There was severe front-end damage to the vehicle with pipes sticking out from under the carriage. The other occupant in the vehicle had a cut on the hand. The vehicle suffered damage to the point where it can no longer be driven. The damage amount to the house is unknown.

April 15

Samuel N. Kim, 31, of Palatine was charged with DUI, DUI blood-alcohol level above .08, failure to notify secretary of state of address change and use of unsafe tires after a traffic stop at westbound Palatine Road and Northwest Highway at 1:58 a.m. Kim had been driving on two flat tires, both on the passenger side of the vehicle.

April 20

Sometime between 1 p.m. and 1:04 p.m. a white female between the age of 25-30 drove off in an older model gray color vehicle without paying for gas at the Citgo, 810 W. Palatine Road. The amount of gas not paid for was $56.87.

Buffalo Grove

April 19

A resident reported that one car was attempting to run another car off the road at 9:10 p.m. April 19 on the 1-100 block of Timber Hill Road. The offending vehicle was bumping into the rear of the other car. The resident stated that the offending vehicle was driven by her ex-boyfriend and the victim vehicle was driven by her current boyfriend. Michael A. Valentino, 38, of the 1200 block of Inverrary Lane, Deerfield, was charged with reckless driving.

April 19

A complainant reported at 7:45 p.m. April 19 that the glass in the door of the shattered. It was unknown what caused the damage. was requested to secure the door.

April 21

A resident reported that someone knocked over a portable toilet and a garbage can April 21 at . A work order for the was generated.

April 22

David Baldi, 23, of the 4600 block of North Clarendon Avenue, Chicago, was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of cannabis and improper parking on the roadway at 1:15 a.m. April 22 on northbound Milwaukee Avenue at Riverwalk.

April 23

An official at reported that someone entered the synagogue between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. April 23 and took donations out of three cans, two located at the entrance and one on a table. The cash was valued at $30 to $50. There were no signs of forced entry; however, a secondary door does not lock securely and can be forced open. Two men were seen leaving the building.


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