Wrigleyville Package Thief Busted; “Energy Solicitor” Gets More Than He Bargained For In Lakeview

Ryan | CPD

An Irving Park man was caught with packages belonging to five different residents of Wrigleyville on Saturday afternoon, police said. Now, he’s facing a felony burglary charge.

Cops responded to a call of a package thief working the 900 block of West Waveland around 3 p.m. Saturday. An officer arrived on-scene to see 33-year-old Ryan Dale placing things in a blue backpack and breaking down a small box, according to police records.

Cops went on to find property belonging to four residents of the 3700 block of North Wilton and one resident of the 900 block of West Waveland in Dale’s possession, according to the officers’ report.

Among the booty recovered: a Crate & Barrel headboard bracket, a Good RX shipment, a box of coffee packets, and a cellphone case.

Dale, of the 4200 block of West School, is charged with one felony count of burglary. Judge Stephanie Miller ordered him released on electronic monitoring with a $25,000 recognizance bond.

Whoops!

One of those pesky door-to-door energy solicitors got more than he bargained for inside a southeast Lakeview apartment complex on Friday evening.

Police say a woman was going door-to-door, asking to see utility bills of residents inside a building in the 500 block of West Melrose.

Eventually, a 30-year-old resident told the woman that she was trespassing and the building did not welcome solicitors. He then began walking her toward the exit.

Along the way, the two encountered 21-year-old Gregory Johnson. The resident asked Johnson to leave, too. While walking to the elevator, Johnson and the victim allegedly got into a verbal altercation and Johnson pushed the victim and punched him in the forehead.

The victim wasn’t having it. According to police, the resident put Johnson in a headlock and punched him in the face. He then continued walking the two trespassers out and called the police.

Johnson, who suffered a swollen eye, is charged with trespassing and battery. He was released on a $1,500 recognizance bond by a rule of the court, which means that no judge was involved in the bail decision.

In case you’re curious about who keeps sending these annoying solicitors to your front door, Johnson identified his employer as “Life Energy.”

———-
Email      Facebook       Twitter       YouTube
About CWBChicago 4360 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets.