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Crime & Safety

Two Arrested in Separate Thefts at Jewel-Osco Live in Same Berwyn Building

The following item is from Patch's reporting of the La Grange Park police blotter.

La Grange Park police on March 17 arrested a man for retail theft who lives in the same apartment building for allegedly trying to shoplift items at the same Jewel-Osco at 507 E. Woodlawn in La Grange Park.

Police are not sure if there is a connection between the two; only that they live in the same building, said Ed Rompa, commander.

On March 17, Victor M. Salinas, 20, of 3137 Oak Park Ave. in Berwyn, was arrested for retail theft after allegedly trying to leave the store without paying for a bottle of Pinnacle vodka worth $21.79.

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Patricia K. Zilinger, 28, of that same address was arrested March 12 for allegedly trying to steal over-the-counter medicine worth $293 at the Jewel-Osco.

In the latest incident, a Jewel security employee was watching real-time video footage at about 7:30 p.m. and saw a man, later identified as Salinas, put a bottle in his rear pants pocket.  The man went to the exit where he was stopped.

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Salinas told police he was on his girlfriend’s front porch in Brookfield when two male gang members approached  and said they would beat up his girlfriend if he did not go to the Jewel –Osco and steal a bottle of alcohol. He told officers he felt he did not have a choice, so he walked to the Jewel-Osco and took the bottle.

In being questioned, Salinas said he could not recall the girlfriend’s first or last name because they just had started dating, nor her address or telephone number. Police said he gave them two different last names for the girlfriend and could not give descriptions of the alleged gang members.

His court date is April 25.

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our towns, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor of this Patch site, matthew@patch.com, and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.

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