Test Drive Turns Criminal and a Fridge Goes Missing

Local police departments provided the following reports. In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt.

Good luck fencing it

The rear driver's side window of a vehicle in Palatine was shattered, and a black leather case that contained a fiber optic test meter, valued at $30,000, was taken.

Test drive and dash

Two men took a test drive of a $22,000 truck at an Arlington Heights car dealership. After the drive, one of the men stayed in the truck while the other went to negotiate a sale inside the dealership. No sale was made.

The next morning the truck was no longer parked at dealership lot. A check of the key the men returned revealed the men kept the original key and gave the salesman a copy, which was not electronically coded to the truck. Police believe the men had a hand-held key copy device to make the stealthy switch and steal the truck. 

A citizen waived down police shortly after a person knocked down his Virgin Mary statue and broke his window in Skokie.

Porches sans frontieres

Plastic lawn furniture was thrown from one Highland Park residence into the back yard of another, an outdoor light was placed on a front step and a second set of lawn furniture belonging to another residence was found in the roadway. 

Thieves spotted doing 4 Celsius down the Edens

A display unit double-door refrigerator was stolen from where it was stored outside during renovation of a Winnetka business.

When geeks turn criminal

An ashtray full of change, a mathematics textbook, psychology textbook and a Texas Instruments TI-84 scientific calculator were stolen from a car in Palatine.

RoboSquirrel prepares for winter

A driver in Glenview reported the lug nuts on their vehicle were loosened, causing a tire to fall off while the vehicle was being driven, causing about $4,000 worth of damage.