Burglar Says 'Hey' to Witness Before Running Away: Blotter

SUNDAY, MARCH 31

DUI Charge After Crash

Rohtkumar K. Patel, 39, of the 16700 block of South Cicero Avenue, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08, failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash and leaving the scene of a crash, according to a report. Patel is accused of driving away from a crash that happened at about 1:13 a.m. near the intersection of 159th Street and Laramie.

Police caught up with Patel at 167th Street and Cicero Avenue, where they found him standing next to his black 2010 Toyota Corolla. He was asked to perform field sobriety tests after police reported smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. He was arrested and, after being taken to the Oak Forest Police Department, took a breath test.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

Left The Frozen Food

Someone emptied a chest freezer before leaving with the appliance from a home in the 16400 block of Terry Lane, according to a report.

The victim told police the burglar left about 20 pounds of frozen food that was in the freezer on a nearby counter. He hadn’t lived in the house for nearly a month and had returned to find the freezer missing.

A new washer and dryer, a stove and several other appliances were left behind.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27

Burglar Says, 'Hey,' to Resident

Someone broke into a home at about 6 p.m. on March 27 in the 16400 block of Forest, according to a report.

A man who lives in the basement of the house went upstairs to the kitchen and was greeted by a burglary who said “Hey.” The resident responded by saying “Hey” just before the burglar took off running. A laptop was later found to be missing from an upstairs bedroom, the report stated.

The burglar is described as a 5 foot, 10-inch white man in his late teens or early 20s with a thin build, short brown hair, black glasses and was wearing a gray sweatshirt and tennis shoes.

Police Blotter information is provided by the Oak Forest Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

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