POLICE: Barrel of Fire, Possums Snack on Renter's Garbage

MONDAY, APRIL 7

‘Barrel of Fire’

A man reported seeing flames 20 feet in the air near Otto and 55th Court and was worried that his neighbor’s house or garage was on fire. The Oak Lawn Fire Department located an open burn in the 5500 block of 90th Street around 10:51 p.m. When the fire department arrived, several people scurried back into the house as firefighters were walking into the yard, reports said.

According to police, the Oak Lawn Fire Department had been called to the house before for “unsafe, open burns” on the property.

Police knocked on the door, and after a delay, the homeowner, Robin E. Palakaitis, finally came to the door, reports said. She allegedly told the officer she was burning papers and wood in a 55-gallon barrel.

The woman’s son, and Palakatis’s employee, denied participating in the fire. According to the report, the fire department had identified the son as the responsible party for the last open burn.

Police said that Palakaitis’s employee also had a non-serviceable warrant for burglary.

Palatakitis, 50, was issued a citation for keeping a disorderly house. She has an administrative hearing at Oak Lawn Village Hall on May 6.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 2

Possum Picnic

Police responded to a public complaint about trash in a backyard in the 5800 block of West 88th Street around 4:36 p.m. A resident told police that his neighbors leave their trash bags in their backyard for up to three weeks at a time.

According to the report, rodents, including possums, are rummaging through bags and snacking on the garbage. The resident said he has contacted the village several times to report the house.

The officer observed several white trash bags lying in the backyard of the residence. Police said that some of the bags had been ripped open and trash was strewn around the yard. Bottles and cans had also been pitched on to the grass.

Police spoke to the person who lived at the house. She told the officer that the bags had only been there a day, and was unaware that animals had ripped the bags open. She is currently renting the house.

The tenant was issued a citation for keeping a disorderly house and is to report to Oak Lawn Village Hall for a hearing. The owner of the house was contacted, and police completed a rental property incident form.