Tuesday Blotter: Elderly Couple Scammed, Man Eats Pot During Pat Down

The following items are taken from the Des Plaines Police Department. In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Aggravated assault/possession of cannabis

June 18: Justin Brown, 22, of the 400 block of West Touhy Avenue, was charged with aggravated assault and possession of cannabis after police say he pulled a knife out during an argument with a man at the Shell station, 600 E. Touhy Ave., over who was at fault in a car accident they were involved in. The cannabis was found in Brown's vehicle.

Deceptive practice

June 15: An elderly couple reported that a man claiming to be their grandson phoned them and said that he had been in a car accident in Mexico and needed $4,000. The couple wired the money and then discovered that their grandson was not in Mexico, according to a police report. The offender called one more time to ask for money, but hung up after being questioned about the scam.

Possession of cannabis/drug paraphernalia

June 17: Adrian Cholewa, 19, of the 10 block of N. Meyer Court was charged with possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia after police initially pulled him over for speeding. Police said they smelled cannabis and asked Cholewa to exit the vehicle. During a pat down, they noticed that Cholewa was keeping his mouth closed. They asked him to open it and observed small amounts of cannabis in his mouth. He admitted that he was eating cannabis and said it was about .2 grams and "not a lot," according to a police report. Police found a socket for smoking cannabis in the vehicle.

Retail theft

June 17: An employee at Walgreen's, 1858 E. Oakton St. reported that $900 worth of Gillette razor blades were stolen from an unlocked display case.

Suspicious incident

June 18: A man claiming to be a police officer asked to be let into two condo buildings; one on the 600 block of Pearson Street and the other on the 600 block of South River Road. The man gained entry at the South River Road location.

Theft of mislaid property

June 19: A woman reported that she left her purse, which contained more than $600 cash and her birth certificate, on the roof of her vehicle while putting her child in the car and drove off. When she realized she didn't have her purse, police followed as she retraced her route but the purse was not found.