Flossmoor Police Blotter: Purple Van Smash & Grab, Chicago Dad DUI, BMW Burglarized, Breakneck Cousin Beatdown

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29

Chicago Father Charged With DUI

A Chicago father has been charged with driving under the influence after being pulled over with his three young sons in the car. Larry Lemons, 39, of Bowen Avenue, was pulled over around 11:30 p.m. near Vollmer Road and Western Avenue, after an officer observed him make a U-turn and drive eastbound in the westbound lane in the 3100 block of Vollmer, police said. The car crossed the center lane marker, according to the report. After the officer pulled Lemons over, he smelled alcohol, police said. Lemons failed a field sobriety test. In addition to the DUI, Lemons is charged with improper lane usage and operation of an uninsured vehicle. The Department of Children and Family Services was also contacted.

MONDAY, JUNE 27

Cousin's Scuffed Shoes End in Breakneck Beatdown

A teenager hurled his older cousin into an air-conditioning unit in anger, resulting in a broken neck, after discovering the man had borrowed and scuffed his shoes, police said. When police arrived, they found the scratched and bruised victim bleeding from the mouth, according to the report. The victim became light-headed while talking to police and was transported by ambulance to an area hospital, where he was diagnosed and treated for a neck fracture, police said. The fight reportedly began after the teen discovered his older cousin had scuffed his shoes. That cousin agreed to polish the shoes when he got up, but the teen demanded $50 in payment instead, according to the report. When the cousin responded that he didn't have the cash, the teen apparently became enraged and demanded a fight in the basement, police said. When the man declined, the teen punched him in the mouth, picked him up and dropped him on the head, then hurled him into the air-conditioning unit. The victim's mother, who is also the accused's aunt, broke up the fight and stated that her nephew could no longer reside in her home, police said. The teen was transferred to a youth home, police said.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

Purple Van Sought in Smash And Grab

Flossmoor police are seeking a purple van with swapped-out plates in connection with two burglarized vehicles at the Coyote Run Golf Course at 800 Kedzie Ave., police said. The purple van is also sought in the burglary of an off-duty Chicago police officer's car, in which a gun was stolen, according to the report. Around 5:40 p.m. Saturday, a witness was putting his golf clubs away when he heard glass breaking and spotted the purple van, police said. That witness quickly snapped a cellphone picture of the vehicle. Husband and wife golfers who had driven in separate cars to the golf course discovered that both their cars had been burglarized, police said. The woman reported that her car window was smashed and her purse, which contained an iPod Nano was stolen, while the husband's black leather bag was missing along with its contents. A Hazel Crest police officer later found the woman's purse and returned it using the information on her business card contained inside.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19

Idlewild Country Club BMW Burglary

The weekend's warm weather tempted a Dyer, Ind., couple into leaving the windows down on their 2011 BMW parked at a Flossmoor country club, police said. The couple told police they planned a quick stop at the Idlewild Country Club, 19201 Dixie Highway, according to the report. When they returned to the car parked in the east parking lot, the couple discovered a wallet containing five credit cards was missing, police said. Two young men who work as "bag boys" told police that earlier, they saw a woman aimlessly driving around the golf course. Around 7:20 p.m., a woman attempted to use one of the stolen cards at the Matteson Walmart at 21410 S. Cicero Ave., police said.