Car Burglarized in Church Parking Lot: Police Blotter

SUNDAY, FEB. 3

Where's My Car?

Police were called to a residence in the 8100 block of W. 168th Place, after a victim reported their car was stolen over night.

A man told police that his car—which held roughly $1,500 in U.S. savings bonds, dozens of CDs and a Tom Tom GPS—was stolen from the parking lot. The approximate value of everything in the car was about $2,000, according to the report.

Police investigated the scene, but could find no distinguishing tire tracks or evidence in the parking lot.

SATURDAY, FEB. 2

Those Drugs are His, Not Mine

Brandon Arthur Maratea, 24, of the 16700 block of Hillside Place, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and cited for possession of cannabis and disobeying a stop sign, following a traffic stop at CVS, 16701 Harlem Avenue.

Officers curbed Maratea after he failed to come to a complete stop. Police noticed a small plastic baggie containing a white, powdery substance on the floorboard behind the driver's seat. Officers told Maratea and his passenger to exit the car, and Maratea also admitted he had cannabis in his wallet.

Both Maratea and the passenger were transported to the Tinley Park Police Station, where the passenger refused to answer any questions about the baggie. Maratea told officers that the baggie was his and that he just paid $60 for it, according to the report. The passenger had nothing to do with the drugs, Maratea told police. 

Maratea was charged and placed in a holding cell to await a bond hearing. The passenger was released without charges.

Religious Thief

Police were called to Saint Julie Billart Chruch, 7399 W. 159th Street, after a victim reported a burglary to their car.

A woman told officers that her husband dropped her off at the church, and he then parked the car in the south lot of the church. The victim said when the couple returned to the vehicle, they noticed the sliding door window of the vehicle was broken and her purse was missing from under the passenger seat of the car.

Inside the purse was $10, various credit cards, car keys and a Village of Tinley Park employee identification card and remote lock. 

While speaking with police, the victim was calling her credit card companies to cancel her cards. While on the phone, the victim said a card was already being used at a gas station, although the company could not specify which station until the charges cleared in five days.

A witness later told police that they saw a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot before the burglary and provided a partial license plate number on the vehicle.

FRIDAY, FEB. 1

Car Burglarized in Parking Lot of Care Facility

Police were called to Ingalls Immediate Care, 6701 W. 159th Street, after a victim reported her car was burglarized.

The woman told polcie that she reported for work and when she returned to her car, her front passenger window was smashed in. The victim said the unknown suspect(s) removed her purse, which contained an Apple iPad, $70–80 cash, various credit cards and other personal items.

The victim said the parking lot is under camera surveillance, but that the person able to access the tape was not at the building at the moment.

Police report information is provided by the Tinley Park Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions 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.