A Chicago man has been detained on allegations that he violently ripped a gold necklace from a woman’s neck in Hinsdale, a crime that bears similarities to a string of robberies that Chicago police have warned residents about this month.
Jesus Enrique Paredes-Castillo, 24, of East Garfield Park, is charged with robbery and was detained pending trial after DuPage County Judge Robert Walsh granted prosecutors’ motion to deny him pretrial release, officials said.
The Hinsdale robbery happened around 6:25 p.m. on July 10 in the first block of West Hinsdale Avenue, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. The victim was sitting on a bench with three friends when a man later identified as Paredes-Castillo approached the group, walked behind the bench, and ripped a gold rope necklace worth $2,000 to $3,000 from her neck. The robber escaped in a gray 2015 Ford Focus.
Hinsdale detectives identified Paredes-Castillo as a suspect and located him as he got into the Ford Focus at a Chicago gas station on Wednesday, authorities said. Detectives followed the vehicle to Paredes-Castillo’s Chicago home, performed a traffic stop, and took him into custody.
The robbery in Hinsdale comes as Chicago police investigate a series of similar necklace robberies that have stretched along lakefront neighborhoods from Edgewater through the Loop all the way to Woodlawn.
In two community alerts issued this month, CPD said one or two men have been approaching victims during daylight hours and forcibly taking gold necklaces. The reported robberies include:
- July 2 at 7:11 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Michigan Avenue in the Near South Side.
- July 3 at 5:34 p.m. in the 0 block of South Wabash Avenue in the Loop.
- July 3 at 5:40 p.m. in the 5100 block of South Drexel Avenue in Hyde Park.
- July 6 at 4:01 p.m. in the 0 block of North Michigan Avenue in the Loop.
- July 6 at 5:35 p.m. in the 2300 block of South Wentworth Avenue in Chinatown.
- July 7 at 4 p.m. in the 6200 block of North Winthrop Avenue in Edgewater.
- July 7 at 5:20 p.m. in the 1500 block of East 55th Street in Hyde Park.
- July 11 at 11:18 a.m. in the 900 block of East 61st Street in Woodlawn.
- July 11 at 3:45 p.m. in the 1000 block of East 43rd Street in Oakland.
- July 14 at 7:08 p.m. in the 2300 block of South Wentworth Avenue in Chinatown.
Chicago police described the suspects as one or two White or Hispanic men between 18 and 25 years old, between 5’03” and 5’08” tall, and weighing between 120 and 170 pounds. The suspects have been seen traveling in a two-door gray or green sedan, according to CPD.
Police are asking anyone with information about the Chicago robberies to contact Area One detectives at 312-747-8384 or Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CPDTIP.com using reference number 26-CWP-019.
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