LP_071119

4 | July 11, 2019 | the lockport legend news
lockportlegend.com
Police Reports
Police: Numerous cellphones stolen
Cellphones were taken
from a T-Mobile store located
at 16600 W. 159th
St. by unknown person(s)
who gained entry by
breaking the front, glass
door on June 27. At 3:11
a.m., Lockport officers
were dispatched to an
alarm call. The Lockport
Investigations Unit is currently
following up on
leads in the case.
Lockport Police
Department
June 30
• Tondra Newell, 33, of
Joliet, was charged with
driving while license revoked
after being stopped
in the 1200 block of Farrell
Road for operating a
motor vehicle while utilizing
a hand held electronic
device (cellphone). Upon
further investigation subject
was also driving while
license revoked. Subject
and was released on bond
pending a Will County
court date.
June 28
• Lizeth Tovar Avalos,
18, of Midlothian, was
stopped after disobeying a
traffic control device at the
intersection of Rt. 171 and
Smith Road. Upon further
investigation subject was
also driving without a valid
driver’s license and did
not have proof of insurance
for the vehicle. Subject
was charged with disobeying
a traffic control
device, driving without a
valid driver’s license and
operating an uninsured
motor vehicle. The subject
was released on bond
pending a Will County
Court date.
June 26
• Richard Kelly, 20, was
charged with retail theft.
Officers responded to
Walmart for a retail theft
after a subject reportedly
concealed numerous
items exceeding $300
into a backpack and left
the store without paying
for the merchandise.
The subject posted bond
and was released pending
a Lockport court
date.
June 25
• A book bag was reportedly
stolen from a vehicle
Please see police, 9
Police: Offenders complete multi-town
robbery spree evening of Fourth of July
Staff Report
Businesses in Lockport
and Tinley Park are believed
to have been robbed
by the same duo on the
evening of the Fourth of
July. Five Lockport businesses
located on Ninth
Street were robbed at approximately
12:15 a.m.
on July 5 during a robbery
spree.
Commander John Arizzi
with the Lockport Police
Department said Ace
Hardware, Subway, Rosati’s
Pizza and Tobacco
Empire all were hit at the
same plaza, and the nearby
Strictly Vape also was hit.
According to Arizzi, the
offender(s) involved were
“clearly looking for cash
and were not interested in
any of the products in the
stores.”
Library gives teens volunteer opportunity
Alex Ivanisevic, Editor
The offender(s) gained
entry into the establishments
through front, glass
doors or windows which
all had alarms. Arizzi said
that once the alarms sound,
it takes one to two minutes
for the initial call to go
through to dispatchers.
“By the time we were
there, they were gone,” he
said.
In total, almost $150
was taken from the five
Lockport businesses,
Arizzi said.
The vehicle used during
the robberies was stolen
but has since been recovered,
and investigators
hope to uncover evidence
in the vehicle that will lead
them to suspects.
Arizzi said the department
was able to collect
“good” surveillance videos
and, with the help of
the jurisdictions in other
towns experiencing similar
robberies, they will be
able to gather information
to push for arrests in the
future after continuing investigations.
Lockport police believe
the same offenders are
involved in each of the
break-ins and, according
to the Tinley Park Police
Department, two male suspects
in their late teens to
early 20s are believed to
be involved.
Five of the Tinley Park
businesses hit on July 4
were in a strip mall in the
7900 block of 171st Street
and included Plush Horse,
Jimmy John’s, Nancy’s
Pizza and Pine Cleaners.
The other two businesses
were located in the area of
183rd Street and Harlem
Avenue.
On the evening before
the Fourth of July, while
most of the town was diving
into holiday festivities,
a group of Lockport teens
decided to dedicate some
time to volunteer work.
The White Oak Library
in Lockport hosts a tween
and teen volunteer night
every month in the summer
and twice a month during
the school year. Program
organizers Maisie Iven
and Jaci Kohn say teens
are motivated to volunteer
for both the hours they
are credited for attending
the nights, and out of the
goodness of their hearts.
“During the summer we
do this once a month because
we see that there are
Jaci Kohn (far left) gives Lockport teens (left to right)
Courtney Mason and Bethany Mason material to
organize for the library as Maisie Iven (second from the
right) sorts through material with Emily Do (far right)
a Homer Junior High student and LTHS student Isa
Abdallah. Alex Ivanisevic/22nd Century Media
fewer people looking for
[the volunteer work], but
we have many opportunities,”
Iven said.
Kohn added, “During
the rest of the year we have
a tween and teen volunteer
night on the first Wednesday
of every month, that
also goes for during the
summer, and then the third
Saturday of every month
as well.”
There tend to be more
volunteers during the
school year because students
will sometimes need
Please see TEENS, 12