DuPage activates emergency operations center
The DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will monitor the incoming winter storm and assist local municipalities through its Emergency Operations Center, activated at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Police Report: DUI charged
David C. Vanek, 28, Tinley Park; 1:11 a.m. near Hillside Road and Washington Street; charged with DUI.

Court dispositions
The following court records of charges that originated in Naperville were provided by the circuit clerk's office.

Police report: Identity theft reported
At 5:09 p.m. Thursday, a resident of 151 N. Ellsworth St. reported being the victim of identity theft.

Cops seize 10 pounds of drugs, arrest 5
Four men and a woman face trial on myriad charges following a raid on an apartment on Naperville's far west side, in which police seized 10 pounds of marijuana, the hallucinogen ecstasy and nearly $20,000.

Naper student brings knife to school
A Naperville middle school student was arrested Friday for allegedly bringing a knife to school. The student was found and taken into custody without incident at Crone Middle School.

Three nabbed in prostitution sweep
Three women face trial on pandering-related charges following a prostitution sting operation coordinated by Naperville police at three hotels on the city's far north side.

Man charged in Facebook threat case
A Naperville-area man on probation in a felony narcotics case has been charged with threatening the lives of his former girlfriend and her new boyfriend in messages he allegedly posted to the woman's Facebook account. Christopher J. Bensfield, 19, remained Thursday night in DuPage County Jail in Wheaton on a $12,500 bond.

‘Rat race’ blamed in speeding case
Chances are Naperville resident Kyle A. Cinzio arrived for work that morning even later than he'd anticipated. That's because he had an unplanned encounter with city police, who stopped and ticketed him for allegedly driving 72 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Glenbard West student dies of crash injuries
It has been a tough week in Glen Ellyn and especially at Glenbard West High School. Pierre Washington Steel, one of two Glenbard West students critically injured last week when their vehicle struck a pole, died Thursday, according to the DuPage County Sheriff's office.

Reward offered in parrot theft
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of Sarah, a 7-month-old green macaw stolen from a Naperville pet store last month. Mike Isaac, co-owner of Petland at 720 S. Route 59 in Naperville, said a man walked in about 6 p.m. on Jan. 19, put the small bird under his coat and ran out.

Car catches fire after Plainfield crash
Plainfield firefighters extinguished a car fire at the intersection of Route 126 and Wallin Drive in Plainfield Thursday morning. The car burst into flames after knocking over a light pole at about 7:30 a.m. Check back for updates.

Glenbard West graduate shot in Minneapolis
A Glenbard West High School graduate was shot outside his dorm at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis Jan. 25. Tim Schumacher, 19, is back in class following the incident, according to a University of Minnesota spokesman.

Police report: Identity theft reported
A resident of 507 E. Bauer Road reported being the victim of identity theft between noon Jan. 15 and 9:24 p.m. Tuesday, after a credit card number was used to make fraudulent purchases over telephone.

Robbers pepper spray Plainfield store worker
Two men robbed a Plainfield cell phone store Tuesday night by pepper spraying one employee and putting a gun to the head of another. The robbery happened about 8:30 p.m. at the Sprint store at 13327 Route 59.

Naperville to close police station overnight, weekends
Effective April 1, the hours of operation for the Naperville Police Department's front desk will be limited to Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Police report: Vehicle burglarized, GPS stolen
Between 9 and 10 p.m. Monday, a GPS unit was stolen from the dashboard after the front passenger-side window was pried open and broken on a vehicle parked in a lot near Fannie May Fine Chocolates, 2555 75th St.. The loss was estimated at $450.

Business owner dies after car leaves road
An owner of The DuPage Inn in Downers Grove died Jan. 28 after apparently suffering a medical problem while driving on Ogden Avenue.

Police report: Suspended license charge
Jose E. Recendiz, 21, Aurora, as 11 p.m. Saturday near La Fox Avenue and Route 59, was charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving without insurance and driving without a rear registration plate on his vehicle.

Fire victim was smoking while using oxygen
An 80-year-old man who died in Lisle area apartment fire Monday was smoking while wearing an oxygen tube, officials said. DuPage County Sheriff's investigators are continuing their probe into the fire at the 28-unit apartment building. Firefighters from four departments responded to the blaze, which was contianed the man's apartment unit.

Court dispositions
The following court records of charges that originated in Naperville were provided by the circuit clerk's office.

Lisle HR chief facing theft charge resigns
Lisle's human resources director, who was arrested Jan. 24 at a Woodridge department store on a shoplifting charge, has reportedly resigned her position. According to a village press release, Patricia Cavalier, 50, resigned from her village post effective Jan. 29, four days after she was placed on indefinite leave.

FBI seeks information on bank robber
The FBI has released surveillance pictures of the man who recently robbed two banks.

Prison looms for Naperville liquor store robber
A Chicago man faces a potential 30-year prison term after being found guilty of last spring's armed robbery of a Naperville liquor store. A DuPage County Circuit Court jury convicted the man, Buddy Stone, of a felony charge of armed robbery with a firearm. Armed robbery is a Class X felony carrying a mandatory penalty of six to 30 years in prison.

Scofflaw faces trial on 12 charges
Richard M. Mascorro is used to running from the law. He has allegedly failed to satisfy judgments or appear in court in connection with eight criminal and traffic charges amassed in less than a year in DuPage County and Will County. But Mascorro's luck ran out last week in Naperville.

Valuable macaw stolen from pet store
It may not be the Maltese falcon, but a 7-month-old green macaw was apparently valuable enough for one man to walk right into the Naperville Petland and steal it last week.

2 in critical condition after Glen Ellyn crash
Two teens are in critical condition after their vehicle struck a pole near unincorporated Glen Ellyn Friday night.

Police report: Disorderly conduct charged
Nicholas A. Danos, 32, 824 Santa Maria Drive, at 11:31 p.m. Thursday at La Cantina, 1272 E. Chicago Ave., was charged with disorderly conduct involving a 39-year-old man.

Van fire snarled Route 59 traffic
Naperville Fire Department firefighters and other emergency service workers responded to the scene of a blaze that completely enveloped and destroyed a van on Route 59 on the city’s far northwest side.

Police Report: Man picked up on warrant
Genti Malushi, 28, 908 Joan Court, at 11:47 p.m. Monday near Liberty Street and Route 59, Aurora, was charged with driving without a registration plate and improper license plate or permit display, and was wanted on a warrant.

Trucker charged with attacking co-worker
A truck driver remained Monday night in Will County Jail in Joliet, accused of hitting a fellow trucker in the head with a hammer-like weapon during an argument at a Bolingbrook business where both men work.

Two injured in rollover crash in Winfield
Two drivers were injured in a traffic collision Monday afternoon in Winfield. The collision happened at the intersection of Jewell Road and North County Farm Road, according to Winfield Fire Chief Phil Dimenza.

Police report: Vehicles burglarized
Between 2 p.m. Jan. 22 and 11 a.m., three vehicles were burglarized while parked in driveways of homes at 2508, 2531 and 2532 Hoddam Court.

Court dispositions
The following court records of charges that originated in Naperville were provided by the circuit clerk's office.

Deportation possible for accused molester
Daniel G. Hernandez, 76, who lives with several family members in an apartment at 770 Inland Circle, will face deportation proceedings following his trial on charges of sexually molesting one of his grandchildren last month in his Naperville home.

Teen charged with delivery man robbery
A 16-year-old Lisle resident was arrested Thursday by the Lisle Police Department and charged with robbery and theft of services in connection with two incidents involving pizza delivery drivers.

Police report: Suspended license charge
Alfredo Rodriguez, 21, Chicago, at 10:25 p.m. Thursday near Chicago Avenue and Naper Boulevard, was charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving without insurance and having a broken rear license plate light on his vehicle.

Man, 21, hurt in hit-and-run
Naperville police are looking for the driver of an older model compact car that injured a man early Saturday in a hit-and-run incident at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Washington Street.

Grandfather charged in sex abuse case
A 76-year-old Naperville man who reportedly filmed himself committing his crimes has been charged with sexually molesting a pre-teenage child in his apartment on the city's far northwest side. Daniel G. Hernandez is accused of molesting one of his grandchildren between Dec. 14 and 18.

Local man sentenced in child porn case
A Naperville man has been ordered to perform 50 hours of community service work and undergo a sex offender evaluation after being convicted of storing pornographic images of children on his personal computer.

Man nabbed eighth time for illegal driving
Joe W. McGee, it seems, is determined to drive. McGee was ticketed one afternoon last week by Naperville police for driving with a revoked license and an expired registration. He was arrested again later that evening — again by Naperville police — on identical charges.

Bonds set in Naperville child porn case
Bonds were set Wednesday for a former music director of Roman Catholic Church parishes in Naperville and Glen Ellyn and his housemate, who are charged with storing pornographic images of children on computers in their home on Naperville's northwest side.

City halves red-light fine late fee
Those who pay their red-light camera tickets late will get a little bit of a relief in the wallet. The Naperville City Council this week slashed in half the late fee associated with the citation.

Bond set for priest accused of sex assault
Rev. Alejandro Flores, the Roman Catholic priest from Shorewood accused of sexually assaulting a St. Charles boy, had his first day in court Thursday. Flores, 37, was charged Wednesday with seven felonies for allegedly having sexual contact with a now-13-year-old boy between Jan. 1, 2005, and Jan. 1, 2010. On Jan. 6, Flores reportedly jumped 20 feet from the choir loft of St. Mary's Carmelite Church in Joliet.

Police report: Driving with revoked license charge
Kevin J. Stiff, 46, at 7:27 a.m. Monday near Blakely Lane and Fort Hill Drive, was charged with driving while license revoked.

Drivers injured in Woodridge crash
Two people were injured, one seriously, Monday after a two-car crash on Route 53 at Everglade Avenue in Woodridge.

Police report
Between 12:45 a.m. and 8:12 p.m. Saturday, a purse was stolen off a bench at Rizzo's, 6 W. Jefferson Ave.

Rollover snarls West Street during rush hour
Southbound traffic on West Street was delayed before 8 a.m. Tuesday after a Ford Escape rolled over onto its roof at Osler Drive, on the western edge of the Edward Hospital campus.

House fire displaces residents
No one was injured in a fire that caused extensive damage to a Naperville home early Sunday, leaving it uninhabitable. At 1:05 a.m., the Naperville Fire Department received a 911 call from a resident reporting a fire in the second-floor bedroom of her house at in the 25W100 block of Setauket Avenue in the Century Hill subdivision.

Man dead, 2 injured in Wheaton fire
An apartment fire in west surbuban Wheaton Saturday early morning claimed the life of one man and injured two people.

Gunman robs Bolingbrook bank
A man with a gun threatened employees at a bank inside a major retailer Friday night. Lt. Mike Rompa said the robbery occurred just before 7:25 p.m. at the U.S. Bank counter inside Meijer, 755 E. Boughton Road.

Police Report: Harassing phone calls
About 6:40 p.m., 60-year-old man reported receiving threatening telephone calls at business at 1815 Wehrli Road.

Police report: Revoked license charged
Jorge L. Cardona, 35, 103 Testa Drive; at 11:43 p.m. near Ogden Avenue and Rickert Drive, was charged with driving while license revoked and driving without insurance.

Naperville cops probe 40+ car burglaries
Naperville police on Wednesday sought the public's help in finding those responsible for burglarizing more than 40 vehicles in little more than 10 weeks on the city's far northwest side.

Court orders Huber off streets by Friday
Downtown Naperville street dweller Scott Huber has until 8:30 a.m Friday to find another place to continue his protracted protest against the city. DuPage Circuit Judge George Sotos granted the city's request Wednesday morning for a temporary injunction forcing Huber and his rolling cart out of public ways.

Police report: Hit and run along Route 59
A woman reported being victim of hit-and-run vehicle about 5:22 p.m. Sunday near DSW Shoe Warehouse, 448 S. Route 59.

Local men charged in DeKalb burglary
An Aurora man and two Naperville men were arrested Monday on multiple charges of felony burglary, a DeKalb County police report said.

90-year-old dies in I-55 crash
A 90-year-old Chicago man died when his car struck the concrete base of a pole Monday morning near Bolingbrook.

None hurt as freight train hits car in Plainfield
No one was injured when a freight train struck a car Monday evening. The collision occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the crossing on Route 126, just east of Route 59.

Wheaton cops warn of car break-ins
Police in Wheaton are warning automobile owners of a series of recent vehicle burglaries. Between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, seven automobiles were broken into, with at least two of the incidents happening during daylight hours.

Man killed in Bolingbrook crash
A man was killed after a car rolled over in a backyard early Sunday. Police said officers were dispatched at 1:52 a.m. for a single-vehicle accident at Pembrook and Lindsey lanes.

Organizational changes to be made in 2010
Almost without warning, everything changes. In the 1990s, Naperville experienced unprecedented growth. The population boomed from 85,000 to almost 130,000 residents. The Police Department was challenged with keeping pace with the rapidly changing community and the demands brought about by an additional 45,000 residents, new commercial areas and a developing downtown area.