Ruse Burglary, Teenage Thievery: Homewood Police Blotter

TUESDAY, APRIL 17

Retail Theft

Charee Taylor, 22, of the 500 block of Winneconna Parkway in Chicago was charged with retail theft. Police said Taylor loaded a shopping cart with more than $400 worth of electrical wire and replaced the price tags with those of items totaling only $19. She was stopped and arrested after using the self-checkout lane, around 2 p.m., according to the report.

MONDAY, APRIL 16

Ruse Burglary

A couple living in the 1800 block of Evergreen Road were the latest victims of a ruse type residential burglary. The couple told police that a Hispanic man approached the home around 2 p.m. claiming to be a new neighbor. He asked to show in the back yard where he was planning to work along their adjacent properties, and during this made several phone calls in Spanish. After he left, police said, the couple found that cash was missing from underneath their mattress.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

Boy Says He Stole From Couple During Sleepover

Police said theft charges are forthcoming against a juvenile who allegedly used his friend’s parents’ debit card to order $1,100 worth of XBox accessories and an air soft gun over the Internet. The next day the couple received an alert that their bank account was overdrawn, and all detectives needed to do was check the name and address listed with the purchases, according to the report. They met with the boy, who admitted to have taken the couple's card during a sleepover.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

DUI Arrest, DUI warrant

Sherman Ratliff, 24, of the 17800 block of Oakwood Drive in Hazel Crest was charged with driving under the influence, driving while license suspended and failure to provide proof of insurance. Police said Ratliff failed field sobriety tests but refused to take a Breathalyzer after stopping his car at Dogwood Lane and Oak Wood Drive around 2:45 a.m. for speeding. He was also served with an East Hazel Crest police warrant for failure to appear in court on DUI charges.

Police report information is provided by the  and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to . We will verify and report the outcome.

*Editor's Note: We have decided to omit the initial police reference to the aforementioned ruse burglary as a "gypsy ruse" in efforts to maintain sensitivity.