Heroin a Growing Concern for Some Chicago Suburbs

The Wilmette Police Department has had 24 cases relating to heroin in the past two years, while the Winnetka Police Department has had two cases in the past two years.

Heroin usage in the United States is on the rise, and the North Shore has witnessed that first hand. Wilmette has seen 24 cases related to heroin in the past two years and four residents dying of heroin overdose in the last three years, according to the Wilmette Police Department. Winnetka, however, has only seen two incidents in the last three years, with two incidents in 2011 and none in 2012, according to the Winnetka Police Department.  "We're not working to actively control it because we don't believe, based on the numbers, that it's currently an issue," Joe Pellus, Winnetka Deputy Chief of Police, said. "I do know that you can certainly get it, and it's really cheap." Brian King, the Wilmette Chief of Police, believes that the low …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Winnetka Trustee Pleads Guilty to DUI

Jennifer Spinney pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol at the Cook County Circuit Court on Friday.

Winnetka Trustee Jennifer Spinney pleaded guilty to DUI Friday, having been pulled over in September and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane usage and improper turning.  Spinney pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, which means she must pay a $1,329 fine, be under supervision for one year, attend a victim impact panel and have a suspended license for a period of time. The Cook County Circuit Court clerk's office in Skokie said it's unclear how long her license will be suspended. The remaining charges of improper lane usage and improper turning were dismissed.  Spinney was charged with driving under the influence and traffic violations after officers said they saw her driving erratically in…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Winnetka Police Blotter: Driving with a Suspended License, Speeding

The following arrest information was provided by the Winnetka Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Driving With a Suspended Driver's License, Speeding Margarita Garcia, 48, of Chicago is being charged with driving with a suspended driver's license and speeding, according to Winnetka Police reports. The incident occurred on Jan. 22 in the 900 block of Sheridan Road. Garcia's court date is set for Feb. 7. Driving With a Suspended Driver's License Aurora Pecache-Ulit, 58, of Chicago is being charged with driving with a suspended driver's license, according to Winnetka Police reports. The report states that she's also being cited for driving with suspended registration and using a handheld cell phone while driving. Pecache-Ulit's court date is set for March 7.  For more news on police and public safety from Winnetka and Glencoe, 'like' …

• Photos (1)

Winnetka PD Catches Would-Be Car Burglar at Train Station

A tip came into police about a auto burglary in process at Indian Hill Train Station Wednesday and officers were able to locate and apprehend the suspect.

Lifted Hydrangea, iPad and Nintendo Wii Swiped

The following information was provided by the Winnetka Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Cannabis Activity A 15-year-old male was cited for possession of cannabis on Sept. 20 at 3:45 p.m. in the 300 block of Winnetka Ave. The juvenile's court date is set for Oct. 25.  Criminal Damage A victim reported an unknown offender damaged the perimeter wood fence on the west side of their property in the 500 block of Meadow Lane. The damage reportedly occurred sometime between Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. and Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. The cost of repair has not been determined.  A village employee discovered an unknown individual used red spray paint to deface the sidewalk and a wooden bench in the 1100 block of Willow Rd. on Sept. 28 at 5:45 p.m. The cost of repair is estimated at $200.  Theft A victim reported a hydrangea bush was removed from the …

• Photos (1)

MAP: Top Spots to Get a Speeding Ticket in Winnetka

Patch pulled the police records and found where Winnetka police make the most traffic stops.

In the past three weeks, Winnetka police have made more than 140 traffic stops in the village, and certain locations are pretty popular on the list. All the major roads in Winnetka seem to top the list, with specific intersections sticking out like a sore thumb. The intersection at Green Bay and Tower roads is the most popular on the list, with roughly 20 cars being stopped in the last few weeks. In addition, the section of Green Bay Road between Elm and Pine streets saw 10 cars stopped for a traffic incident. On the map, the red triangles with the explanation points are the intersections with the highest number of incidents. The purple dots mean three traffic stops, the green dots mean two traffic stops and the orange dots mean only one …

•  11 Comments
• Photos (1)

David Greenberg

6:34 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012

"If you're not doing anything wrong (whether it be speeding or anything else) the police aren't going to be coming after you." - what's not illegal today, may be illegal tomorrow. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Poupoli! Still rings true today. So kudos to Patch Editors for putting together these maps.   more ›

Winnetka Blotter: Jewelry Thief and an iPhone Bandit

Between more than $20,000 in jewels being snatched and a sneaky schoolboy, these are the most recent police reports in Winnetka.

Tuesday, Aug. 21 at 11:36 a.m. Police were called to a home on the 1200 block of Westmoor Trail Tuesday morning after a resident noticed a few important items missing. According to the report, an unknown burglar snuck into the home earlier that morning and stole several pieces of jewelry from a second floor bedroom. The items were worth more than $10,000. Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6:31 p.m. Keep your eyes peeled for stolen iron décor in the village. Winnetka police responded to the 1000 block of Elm Street Wednesday evening when someone noticed an iron baker’s rack was missing from the parking space. The rack, which is valued at $400, was sitting in the alley when it was snatched. Thursday, Aug. 23 at 3:36 p.m. Winnetka’s latest bike-theft …

• Photos (2)

Winnetka Blotter: Bike and Jewelry Stolen

The following information was supplied by the Winnetka Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Criminal defacement A Rubix cube was spray painted on an electric utility box at the intersection of Prospect and Humboldt Avenues. Identity theft Two 2010 tax returns were fraudulently filed using the name and Social Security number of a resident of the 700 block of Foxdale Avenue. Someone attempted to fraudulently open a checking account using the name of a resident of the 100 block of Indian Hill Road. Last week: Three Thefts, Graffiti, Traffic Charge Residential burglary Jewelry was removed from a home in the 400 block of Sunset Road between May 6 and 8. Drug possession Christopher K. Athing, 19, of Atlantique, New York was cited for possession of marijuana at 11:57 p.m. May 23 in the 400 block of Hawthorn Lane. His court date is June …

• Photos (1)

Winnetka Girl Scouts' JUST DRIVE Campaign Expands

Troop #41059, a group of fifth-grade girls at Skokie School, will place bumper stickers that combat distracted driving on every Winnetka Police squad car.

Winnetka Police Chief Patrick Kreis was visiting the Hubbard Woods School Mayfest recently when he stumbled upon the "JUST DRIVE" campaign, hosted by Girl Scouts Troup 41059. "I was immediately impressed with what the girls had put together," he told Patch. "Their program sends a simple message of JUST DRIVE, No Cell Phones. No Distractions. They not only distribute bumper magnets and stickers but they also back-up their message with an easy-to-read pamphlet containing research-supported facts about distracted driving." The fifth-grade girls at Skokie School in Winnetka created a campaign called JUST DRIVE to raise awareness about the problems associated with distracted driving. Using the funding from their cookie sales, the Girl Scouts …

• Photos (4)
• Documents (2)