Indiana Fugitive Found Hiding in Vacant Home, Cops Say

A Gary, IN man with prior burglary charges and a conviction for child rape was apprehended by Oak Lawn Police, after he was found hiding in a vacant home in the 10100 block of South Kolin Avenue, reports said.

Ulysses Green, 38, was charged with felony burglary, and was also found to have two outstanding warrants, police said.

Officers were dispatched to the area of 101st Street and Kostner Avenue around 11:21 p.m. Jan. 4, for a report of a suspicious white minivan sitting idle on the street.

Upon their arrival, police located a white Pontiac Montana minivan with Indiana plates parked on the corner. As the officer approached the van, he observed a man laying down in the front passenger seat.

Police said the man told officers that he was going for a ride with his associate, Green, who was visiting a female friend. 

According to the report, while en route from Indiana to Oak Lawn, the man told police he fell asleep on the way and didn’t wake up until Green was parking  the van on the corner and exiting the vehicle.

Green told his friend that he’d be right back, so he went back to sleep, reports said. The friend said he’d been asleep for 20 to 45 minutes until officers woke him up, police said.

Police placed the man in a patrol car, who described Green as wearing a red jacket. He wasn't sure which direction he headed,  reports said. 

A pair of snowy footprints were observed on the driver’s side of the van. The officer followed the footprints that led through a property fence at a vacant home under construction on Kolin Avenue.

After determining that there were no other footprints in the snow surrounding the house, the officer observed a broken hinge on a temporary door in the garage, reports said.

Police said that someone could be heard walking through the residence. Additional officers were called to the scene, who set up a perimeter around the house.

Officers entered through the broken entryway and announced themselves. They ordered anyone on the premises to come out, but received no response, reports said.

As officers were clearing the first floor, they located a man wearing a red jacket, later identified as Green, allegedly holding a piece of copper pipe and hiding behind some insulation.

Police said that Green identified himself. While searching him, police allegedly recovered a flashlight, screwdriver, wrench, wire stripping tool, a cell phone and knit cap.

The owner arrived on the scene and determined that the rest of the house was intact. Police said the owner determined that a crowbar found near the broken door did not belong to the house, as well as the items found in Green’s possession.

A neighbor told police that the Pontiac Montana had been parked at 101st Street and Kostner for about 20 minutes, when he called police, reports said.

While checking Green’s name in LEADS, police determined that Green had two active warrants. The first for failing to make court on a charge of driving with a suspended license in Sangamon County, IL, and the other a felony burglary charge in Lake County, IN.

Police took Green into custody. His friend was also brought to the Oak Lawn police station, but was not under arrest.

Green allegedly told police that he was in the area because he was working on a house. At 5 p.m., he completed the job and called for his ride home.

After waiting for an hour, he decided that his ride wasn’t coming so he looked for a place to stay for the night. He found the house on Kolin and climbed through an open window, reports said.

Police said that Green claimed ownership of the items found on his person, and that he was just trying to sleep.

Green also allegedly denied being with the man found sleeping in van, and being inside the van itself. He did not wish to provide a written statement, reports said.

In a voluntary written statement, Green's associate told police that Green came by his mobile home in Gary around 9 p.m. Green asked him if he wanted to accompany him to the store to buy cigarettes, police said. 

After buying cigarettes, both men got back into the van and Green began driving on the expressway, the friend alleged. He asked Green where they were going, and Green replied to a friend’s house, police said.

The man said he fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until Green was parking the van in Oak Lawn. Green told him he’d be right back.

He went back to sleep until police arrived. The man said he had no idea what Green was up to, and was only going along for the ride, police said.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony charge for residential burglary. Green is currently being held at Cook County Jail on $200,000 bail. His next court date is Jan. 22 in Bridgeview.

The other man was released without being charged for lack of evidence, police said.

Green was arrested on a burglary charge last July in Gary. The Post-Tribune reported  that Green and another man allegedly stole a furnace from a church and then tried selling it to another church member.

Records also show that Green was sentenced to seven years in prison in 1992, after he was convicting of aggravated criminal sexual assault against a child under 10 in Cook County. According to the Indiana Sex Offender Registry, the motive for the assault was sexual.