Homewood Police Blotter: Missing Koi Fish, Shower Curtain in Pants, Dunkin Deception

THURSDAY, MAY 19

Bartering Backfires in Homewood

A Glenwood man agreed to work in exchange for receiving tools from a Homewood man, but this bartering arrangement did not pan out, police said. The Glenwood man complained that his Homewood friend agreed to pay him with the tools, but when he went to pick them up after completing the work, he discovered the other man attempting to sell those same tools from his residence, according to the report. No one was charged.

Missing Rocks and Fish 

A Homewood resident was doing an inventory for landscapers when he realized that three boulders and 12 koi fish were missing from the property, located in the 2400 block of Ravisloe. It was reported that the theft occurred sometime between Thursday night and noon Friday. The boulders are valued at $500, the fish at $360, according to the report.

Markham Man Caught with Marijuana

Police said a Markham man was caught with a single cannabis cigarette after he failed to use his turn signal while turning onto 175th Street in Hazel Crest. Jamaal Z. Towns, 28, was found with a single, hand-rolled cigarette, according to the report. When asked if he had any more cannabis, Towns responded that the lone cigarette was all he had, police said.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

Watch for This License Plate

A Homewood woman reported her front Illinois license plate stolen from an address on 191st Street, according to police. The stolen plate is K518559 and has been entered into the LEADS system, police said.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

A Riverdale man appeared to play hide-and-seek with a Kmart security camera, but was still caught and charged with retail theft, according to the police report. A security officer at Kmart, 17550 Halsted St., said he spotted Lamont A. Johnson, 37, of the 13900 block of Edbrooke Avenue, on camera loading up his cart with a bottle of Steel Reserve and four bottles of Hennessey, police said. Johnson then wheeled the liquor-filled cart away to an angle in the men's department not accessible by camera, police said. When a Kmart security officer went on foot to that area, he was found the cart empty and the man gone. However, Johnson was then caught, according to the report.

Hurrying Home to Shower?

A man dressed in soiled clothing left Kmart with a shower curtain stuffed in his pants, police said. The unknown suspect, described only as a white man dressed in a blue jacket or sweatshirt and dirty jeans, entered the store through the garden area, police said. He then selected a shower curtain worth $23.99 and placed it in his pants, according to the report. The suspect fled north on Halsted in a Green Ford F-150 with unknown out-of-state plates, police said.

Hoosier Hustles Headphones

A Hammond teen was charged with retail theft after stealing a pair of headphones, police said. Lawrence D. Johnson, 18, was observed taking the headphones at Kmart and leaving without paying, according to police.

TUESDAY, MAY 17

Dunkin Donuts Employee Caught Stealing

A Hammond man who worked at Dunkin Donuts, 2353 183rd Street, was charged with theft after stealing a customer's Coach purse, police said. The store manager alerted police after spotting Andrew E. Carter, 24, of the 2900 block of Cleveland Street, taking the handbag on the donut shop's surveillance tape, police said. The customer had asked Carter twice if he had seen her purse, and he denied seeing it, according to the report. The manager said the tape also revealed Carter taking money from a customer, then not putting it in the cash register, police said. Carter told police he recently began stealing money to amass funds for restore his driver's license, complaining that the Dunkin Donuts "had not been scheduling him enough," according to the report.

MONDAY, MAY 16

Coca-Cola Assault Charge

A Homewood man and his New Lenox friend were followed home by another motorist after they insulted that man and hurled a can of Coca-Cola at him, police said. The irate motorist, also from Homewood, called 911 and followed the two to a residence, where the New Lenox man flourished a baseball bat at him, then fled when police arrived, according to the report. Steven C. McKiddy, 19, of the 18000 block of Sacramento, was charged with battery for hurling the half-full can of cola, while Brandon J. Bradford, 20, of Amber Road in New Lenox, was charged with assault for flourishing the bat, police said.

Taking Flight with Grey Goose 

A Riverdale woman was charged with retail theft after taking two bottles of alcohol from Kmart without paying, police said. Tashia C. Moore, 26, of the 1400 block of School Street, was caught taking a couple of bottles of Grey Goose vodka with a retail value of $74.98, according to the report.

SUNDAY, MAY 15

Swiping Swimwear

A Park Forest woman was charged with retail theft for taking a swimsuit from Kmart, police said. Melissa Ferguson, 33, of Dogwood, was observed by a clerk taking the $16.99 swimwear from a store display and concealing it in the shopping cart, according to the report. Ferguson was stopped by store security as she was leaving the store without paying, police said.