Portage Park Archives

Neighbor gets 40 years for killing 9-year-old girl after she bought ice cream in Portage Park

November 6, 2026 3:45 AM CWBChicago

A Northwest Side man who intentionally shot and killed his 9-year-old neighbor moments after she bought ice cream for herself and her father three summers ago was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison.

Man found dead inside burning car on NW Side

November 3, 2026 7:36 AM CWBChicago

Chicago police are investigating after a man was found with head injuries and burns inside a car behind a Northwest Side dealership overnight.

Smoke shop operator shot and killed after witness spots masked man inside, police say

October 2, 2026 2:29 PM CWBChicago

A 34-year-old smoke shop operator was shot and killed inside his Northwest Side store Thursday night after a witness saw a masked man inside and then watched a gunman flee following the sound of gunfire, police said.

Woman who kept dead mom in freezer to collect her Social Security checks faces federal fraud charges

September 30, 2026 2:15 AM CWBChicago

A Portage Park woman with a history of fraud convictions who kept her dead mother’s body in a freezer for nearly two years so she could continue collecting the woman’s Social Security checks is now facing federal fraud charges.

Chicago police issue third warning about Northwest Side store robber

August 24, 2026 11:47 PM CWBChicago

Chicago police have issued a third warning about a man suspected of robbing Northwest Side stores seven times since July 31. Police say he has continued striking despite two earlier alerts and released images of the suspect for the first time.

YouTube fragrance expert built $250K collection through Nordstrom refund fraud: sheriff

July 24, 2026 2:11 PM CWBChicago

A Chicago man who operates a fragrance-focused YouTube channel is accused of orchestrating a scam that left retailers with luxury perfume boxes filled with modeling clay instead of expensive cologne, prompting Cook County sheriff’s investigators to launch what they dubbed “Operation Eau de Fraud.”

Man pleads guilty to tossing Molotov cocktail into Portage Park school dumpster

June 8, 2026 10:27 PM CWBChicago

An Edgewater man pleaded guilty to attempted arson and walked away with a sentence of mental health probation after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into a charter school dumpster while wearing a disguise, according to court records.

Man sexually assaulted 8-year-old boy inside Portage Park discount store, police say

June 6, 2026 10:03 AM CWBChicago

Chicago police are asking for the public’s help in identifying possible additional victims after charging a suburban man with sexually assaulting an 8-year-old boy inside a Portage Park discount store.

Chicago man gets 40 years for two murders committed days apart on Northwest Side

June 2, 2026 1:23 PM Tim Hecke

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to two Northwest Side murders he committed within days of each other in December 2021, cases that were solved after police found the murder weapon in a carjacked vehicle he was driving.

Man sexually abused boy in Portage Park restroom, police say

June 2, 2026 10:13 AM CWBChicago

A man followed two boys through a Portage Park discount store and into a restroom, where he sexually abused one of the children before the boys were able to get away, according to a community alert issued by Chicago police.

Masked burglars steal ATMs from taverns in Lincoln Park, Portage Park

December 29, 2025 5:42 PM CWBChicago

An ATM burglary crew is actively targeting businesses across Chicago’s North and Northwest sides, striking at least three locations since Christmas morning, according to police reports. The most recent burglaries occurred early Monday at taverns in Lincoln Park and Portage Park, following a similar ATM theft reported Christmas morning in North Center.

Four-time felon sentenced to 12 years in fatal shooting of girlfriend, unborn baby

December 28, 2025 6:35 PM CWBChicago

A Chicago man with multiple prior gun convictions has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in the unintentional fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend while the two were in bed together, a case that also claimed the life of her unborn child.

Disgraced former cop gets probation for $350K residential burglary

November 24, 2025 9:35 AM Tim Hecke

Joseph Pecora, a former Chicago police officer who served federal time in 2006 for taking 50 pounds of pot from a drug supplier, has been sentenced to probation after DNA evidence allegedly tied him to a $350,000 burglary on the city’s Northwest Side.

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