Crime & Safety

Suspended Cop Don't Need No Stinkin' Badge: Weird Crimes

Grocery store manager gets a lesson in physics from accused thief • Angry Homewood man makes it rain with eggs and garbage • Two men play pretend bad guys with cap gun ... This week's roundup of weird crime news in the Southland.

By Nick Swedberg

Leave The Badge, Take The Ticket


Aug. 27: A suspended part-time cop tried to pass himself off as a boy in blue when a working Tinley Park officer stopped him last month.

The 49-year-old Tinley Park man was stopped at about 10:50 a.m. after a cop noticed he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, police. During a conversation with police, the driver said he was a Phoenix, IL, police officer. The man was unable to show proof that he was officer so Tinley Park police decided to check out his story.

A call with the Phoenix police chief confirmed that the driver, who had been a part-time officer, was suspended more than a year ago and never returned to work, police said. The driver consented to a search of his vehicle, which turned up a Phoenix police badge and an expired police ID in a bag in the passenger seat, police said. He told police he wasn't thinking straight and didn't know why he lied.

Tinley Park police cited the driver for not wearing a seatbelt and took the badge and identification before releasing the driver. Phoenix's police chief said he wouldn't press charges and just wanted the badge returned.

Read more on Tinley Park Patch

Grocery Pick-up and Run Down

Aug. 26: A grocery store manager had a run of bad luck when an alleged thief decided to turn her car into a weapon.
Michelle D. Matthews, 40, of the 9700 block of South Charles Avenue, Chicago, is accused of striking a manager at Pete's Market, 3720 W. 95th Street, with her car, Evergreen Park policesaid. She was charged with felony aggravated battery and misdemeanor retail theft.
Matthews left the store with $50.01 worth of groceries she hadn't paid for when the manager followed her out to her car, police said. The driver then fled the scene after striking the man. A customer noticed that Matthews had placed a dozen items into her cart and walked out of the store at about 4 p.m., police said. When the customer told store staff, the manager chased down Matthews in time to see her put the groceries in the trunk of her car.

The manager didn't appear to be seriously hurt, police said. He had to push himself off the car's hood at one point during the incident. Cops tracked Matthews down near the intersection of 87th and Rockwell streets a short time later, police said. Officers found the groceries in the car she was driving.

Bail was set at $50,000 for the Chicago woman. She is due on Sept. 17 in Bridgeview court.

Read more on Evergreen Park Patch

Scrambled Eggs At A Distance

Aug. 27: Ever been so mad that you threw eggs from a balcony? 

Lawrence Watkins, 49, of the 1900 block of 183rd Street, Homewood, was charged with disorderly conduct, according to a report. Watkins is accused of being drunk and throwing items from his balcony. An officer spoke with the victim, who said he threw eggs and garage onto her balcony while yelling. Watkins is due on Oct. 8 in Markham.

Read more on Homewood-Flossmoor Patch

And Then One of Them Was Busted For Weed ...


Aug. 17: Two 19-year-old Oak Forest men who wanted to have some fun with a new cap gun ended up in trouble with the law.

The two men told Orland Park police they didn't intend to scare anyone and thought it was "harmless fun" when one of them got out of their Lincoln and pointed a fake gun at grandparents in the car behind them.
Both pranksters were ticketed for causing a disturbance, police said. Orland Park cops received a complaint about the fake gun incident about at about 8:24 p.m. at the intersection of Humphrey Drive and 143rd Street, police said. An older couple from Oak Lawn, who had their three grandchildren in the backseat, said the cap gun make a loud popping sound when the man pulled the trigger. The "gunman" then ran back to the Lincoln, which drove away. 

The grandchildren became frightened and feared that the men were out to get them, the Oak Lawn couple told police. An officer found the Lincoln in the 7900 block of Teton Road and tracked down the registered owner, who said it was currently in her son's possession. Another officer came across the two men as they were walking down Teton Drive. One man admitted to firing off the cap gun while the other said he drove the Lincoln. At the same time, police searched the car and found a small amount of a substance that tested positive for marijuana.

The men were issued municipal violations for disorderly conduct. One also received a violation for possessing marijuana. 

Read more at Orland Park Patch


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