Publications & Sites 
Skokie police blotter for May 22
Updated: June 29, 2012 9:32AM
The following incidents were listed among the official reports of the Skokie Police Department. Readers are reminded that an arrest by police does not constitute a finding of guilt; only a court of law can make that determination.
BATTERY
Derek Augustus, 40, of 4922 Kirk Ave., Skokie, is scheduled to appear in court June 18 on charges of simple battery and obstructing identification stemming from an incident at about 8:30 p.m. May 9 on the 4800 block of Oakton Street. Police said Augustus got into an argument with a woman and punched her in the eye. Police said identification information he initially provided police did not match information on his state identification card.
ROBBERY
A woman was thrown to the ground when a man tried to take her shoulder bag at about 10:30 p.m. May 11 on the 8800 block of Niles Center Road. Police said the woman was walking southbound on Niles Center Road when she saw a male walk toward her and then pass her. Seconds later, police said, she felt a tug on her bag as the same male was trying to remove it from her shoulder. Police said the woman was able to keep hold of the bag, but a wallet containing $3 in cash was taken from inside during the incident.
BURGLARY
A spare tire valued at $500 was taken between 5 p.m. May 12 and 6:45 p.m. May 13 from a vehicle parked on the 4800 block of Grove Street. Police said the tire was mounted underneath the bed of a truck. A cutting device was used to sever a cable that held the tire, police said.
Two bicycles valued at $300 and purses valued at $200 were taken between 2:20 p.m. May 13 and 11 a.m. May 14 from storage lockers at Public Storage on the 8200 block of Skokie Boulevard. Police said several locks were cut from the doors of the storage lockers.
An iPad valued at nearly $500 and a striped bag were taken between 2:50 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. May 14 from a vehicle parked at Skokie Sports Park on the 3400 block of Oakton Street. Police said someone smashed out the driver’s side window to get inside.
A television, a PlayStation 2 console and controller and another television were taken between 9:15 a.m. and 1:55 p.m. May 14 from a residence on the 9400 block of Lavergne Avenue. Police said there were no signs of force to any doors or windows. The victim told police the doors are sometimes left unlocked. The items were taken from different rooms, police said.
A vehicle was broken into between 6 p.m. May 5 and 3 p.m. May 6 while parked on the 8600 block of Niles Center Road. Police said the means of entry to the vehicle is unknown. The lock on the vehicle’s glove box was broken off and the in-dash cigarette lighter was taken, police said.
Jewelry items valued at $500, along with $600 in cash, were taken between 2:20 p.m. and 2:43 p.m. May 7 from a residence on the 3700 block of Greenwood Avenue. Police said the basement door on the south side of the house was found ajar but without signs of force. A window also was found open with the blinds hanging on the outside. A witness said she saw a black vehicle parked near the residence and then a man get out of the vehicle, put on a hooded sweatshirt and then conceal something under it. The man then walked toward the residence, police said. The items were taken from different rooms and a pillow case containing a laptop computer and a pair of women’s boots was found on the kitchen table. The case is still under investigation.
Two donation boxes with about $200 inside were taken between 2 p.m. May 10 and 5:15 a.m. May 11 from St. Peter’s Church on the 8100 block of Niles Center Road. Police said there were no signs of forced entry to the church.
Three men tried to burglarize a residence in an alleged scam at about 12:14 p.m. May 11 on the 5100 block of Fitch Avenue. Police said a man came to the victim’s door and asked her if it was OK to cut some bushes. She went to the back yard at the man’s request, police said, leaving the back door open. Police said a man still in the house was suspicious and started to call police when another man entered the house claiming that he needed to check the pipes. Police said the two men and another man were seen leaving the scene.
Several vehicles were burglarized between 5 p.m. May 14 and 7 a.m. May 15 while parked at the House of Rental on the 5100 block of Church Street. Police said a landscaping brick was used to shatter the windows of three vehicles, and there was an effort to break the window of another vehicle. GPS navigation units were taken from two of the vehicles, police said. Glove compartments of two vehicles were ransacked, police said.
A laptop computer and computer accessories, a GPS navigation unit valued at $70 and a Kindle e-reader were taken between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. May 15 from a vehicle parked at AMC Showcase at Village Crossing on the 7000 block of Carpenter Road. Police said the victim did not remember if she locked the vehicle, and there were no signs of forced entry.
DUI
Tadeusz P. Kupiec, 24, of 8222 Kilpatrick, Skokie, is scheduled to appear in court June 19 on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from an incident at 5:03 a.m. May 5 on the 5400 block of Oakton Street. Police said Kupiec was pulled over for speeding and traffic violations. Kupiec failed sobriety tests, police said. He was also cited with several traffic violations.
THEFT
A laptop computer valued at $2,500 was taken between 1:53 p.m. and 1:56 p.m. May 9 from Barnes and Noble at Westfield Old Orchard. Police said the victim forgot the laptop at the store and when she returned, it was gone.
A bicycle valued at $3,000 was taken between 9 a.m. May 8 and 6 p.m. May 10 from a parking garage on the 4900 block of Foster Street. The bicycle had been locked to a rack in a secured parking garage, police said.
A cell phone valued at $320 was taken between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. May 11 from the hallway of an apartment building on the 8700 block of Skokie Boulevard. Police said the victim was charging the phone in the hallway because there was no power in her apartment.
Clothes valued at $800 were taken between 8:19 p.m. and 8:21 p.m. May 11 from Bloomingdales at the Old Orchard mall. Police said a male was seen taking four pairs of jeans and leaving the store without paying.
A 2003 Toyota Camry valued at $8,000 was taken between 6:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 16 while parked in the Skokie Swift lot on the 5000 block of Dempster Street. Police said there were no signs of forced entry where the vehicle had been parked.
A laptop computer valued at $1,350 was taken between 10 p.m. May 12 and 6 a.m. May 13 from the Birchwood Complex at the Holiday Inn. Police said the laptop computer was on a chair pushed under a table when it was taken.
