Woman Calls Cops on Garage 'Prowler,' Reports Say

An Oak Forest man was arrested last week following a suspicious incident in which a homeowner reportedly found him "prowling" around her garage.

Police quickly caught up with David J. Hersrud, 23, of the 5100 block of Bellaire Road in Oak Forest, after getting a call around 5:40 a.m. July 18 regarding a prowler in a residence in the 6500 block of 177th Street in Tinley Park. 

The victim told police that while she was drinking coffee at her kitchen table, she saw Hersrud walking around her detached garage. She called 911 and then saw him leaving her yard, heading down 177th Street, the report said.

Police caught up with Hersrud, who they said had been drinking. He told them he had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and left on foot. Asked if he was at the victim's residence, he reportedly said he was angry and damaged a home's siding by punching it. His knuckles were red, police said.

They found damage to both a screen of one of the garage's windows, and a screen door at an adjacent property, they said. The Cook County State's Attorney's office denied burglary charges because there was no evidence Hersrud entered the garage with intent to steal, according to the report. He was instead charged with two counts of criminal damage to property and one count of criminal trespassing. 

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