Regional Police Report: Officer Charged in Burglary Resigns; Dog Shot and Killed, and More

Northbrook

Police Officer Resigns Amid Burglary Charges

Enrique Guzman, the Northbrook police officer who was charged with robbing a home while on duty last week, submitted his resignation from the department on Feb. 4, Village Hall announced. 

Guzman "is no longer an employee of the Village," the release states. 

According to Northbrook Village President Sandy Frum, the state's attorney asked village officials to refrain from commenting on the case while the investigation continues.

Guzman was arrested after the FBI placed three hidden cameras in a home he was dispatched to investigate, the Chicago Tribune reports. The camera footage caught Guzman entering a bedroom and pocketing a jewelry box with a fake diamond ring, which the FBI also planted, according to the Chicago Tribune.

 The 34-year-old and 12-year police department veteran was charged with felony burglary while on duty last week.

Palatine

A Palatine man is facing numerous charges, including a felony, for shooting and killing a neighbor's German Shepard early Friday morning, according to a press release from the Palatine Police Department.

Piotr Holy, 40, of the 1100 block of S. Brockway Street, reportedly killed the animal after it entered his backyard, according to the release.

Police found a deer carcass in the backyard during their investigation. Piotr told them it was there to lure coyotes, which he planned to intentionally kill with a .22 caliber gun.

Crystal Lake

Car Crash Leads To Drug Arrest

A Crystal Lake man was arrested for possession of marijuana after his car struck another car on Route 31 early Saturday morning, according to McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren.

Lazarus D. Larkin, 23, 240 E. Prairie St., was arrested and charged with one count possession of cannabis, one count possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane use and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, Nygren said in a press release.

Larkin was driving north on Route 31 at about 3 a.m. on Feb. 2, when he struck a car traveling southbound. After the collision, Larkin's car came to rest in a ditch on the east side of Route 31 near Gracy Road in Prairie Grove, Nygren said.

Evanston

Chicago Man Charged With Armed Home Invasion

Police arrested and charged a 24-year-old Chicago man with home invasion, after officials say he forced his way into an Evanston home and threatened to kill the residents with a loaded gun.

Lamont. P. Hall, 24, of the 4900 block of South Prairie Avenue in Chicago, is charged with home invasion and aggravated unlawful restraint, both felonies, as well as aggravated assault, a misdemeanor. At the time of his arrest, he was out on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections after serving three years of a six-year sentence for armed robbery.

Police responded to a 9-11 call about a man with a gun in the 700 block of Dobson Street just after midnight on Monday, Feb. 4. Hearing screams from inside an apartment, officers forced their way in as Hall ran out the back, according to police. Officers caught him as he attempted to run away, police said.

Niles

On Jan. 31, an employee of a charity in Hattiesburg, Miss. contacted Niles police about questionable credit card transactions. 

According to the report, the employee said the credit card number was used 12 times without authorization in Illinois towns between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2. Two of those, one for $195.90 at a store in the 9600 block of Milwaukee Avenue and one for $919.94 at a store in Golf Mill Shopping Center, occurred in Niles.

The 12 transactions totaled $10,413.13. The credit card holder has never been to Niles and did not lose possession of the card, police said.

Skokie

Police: Hair Salon Bandit Charged with 11 Counts of Robbery

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved 11 counts of armed robbery against an Evanston man today. The announcement was made at the Skokie Police Department at 10:30 a.m.

Jason Logsdon, 41, of the 900 block of Chicago Avenue in Evanston, was charged with 11 counts of armed robbery, all Class X felonies. Police believe Logsdon is responsible for a total of 15 robberies, but the remaining four occurred in DuPage County. That county is still continuing its investigation, police said.