POLICE BLOTTER: Pickup Drops Tell-Tale Plate, Tequila in the Kia

MONDAY, DEC. 3 

Stolen Nissan Recovered 

A stolen car belonging to a 28-year-old woman from Chicago’s Mt. Greenwood neighborhood was found by police at 5:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the Jewel/Osco at 9424 S. Pulaski. The discovery was made after police ran a license plate check of the unoccupied vehicle. 

Sod Cutter Swiped 

Burglars cut a lock off a gate at Central Sod Farms, 11001 S. Cicero, and stole a sod cutter valued at $2,000. An employee told police that the crime occurred sometime between noon Saturday, Dec. 1 and 8:30 a.m. Monday. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 2 

Tequila in a Kia 

A 31-year-old man from Chicago’s South Side was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. and charged with DUI near 103rd and Cicero. 

Police responding to a call of a “slumper” say they found Benjamin Winfield of the 5300 block of south Wallace in the car he was driving, a purple 2011 Kia Optima, in the northbound middle lane of Cicero Avenue.  The car was not moving, although Winfield had a green light, police said. 

Police report that Winfield’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and that they smelled a strong odor of alcohol on him. Additionally, they say they found an open bottle of tequila in a cup holder in the car. 

Police say Winfield refused a preliminary breath test at the scene and was taken into custody. He was also found to be driving without auto insurance. 

Winfield is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, Dec. 26, police said.  

FRIDAY, NOV. 30

Pickup Drops Tell-tale Plate

A license plate that fell off a pickup truck fleeing the scene of an accident at about 6:30 p.m. was used by police to track down a 30-year-old Palos Hills man who was behind the wheel. 

Police say they arrested Krzysztof Babicz at his home on the 8400 block of west 99th Terrace. He was also found to be driving without auto insurance. 

According to a witness, Babicz was driving his red 2004 Ford F-150 west on 93rd Street near Ridgeland at a high rate of speed. On the 6500 block, the truck reportedly hit a parked car, an Infiniti 130 belonging to an Oak Lawn woman, and then took out a curbside mailbox before fleeing north on Nashville. 

Babicz reportedly told police he fled the scene because he panicked and that he wants to pay for the damages he caused. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, December 17, according to police.  

Police report information is provided by the Oak Lawn 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.

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