Police respond to incidents of copper downspout theft

Evanston Police responded to two incidents involving the theft of copper downspouts within a five-day period, police said.

The incidents “could possibly be connected,” Cmdr. Tom Guenther said.

Copper downspouts are desirable for scrap value, he said.

The first incident occurred Feb. 10 in the afternoon on the 400 block of Elmwood Street. The building’s janitor reported the theft of a green copper downspout on the east side of the structure, and noticed a failed attempt to remove another spout on the north side, Guenther said.

A witness saw a man removing the downspout from the building and placing it into a beat-up gray pickup truck. The suspect then fled north.

A person removed 30 feet of copper downspouts in a separate incident on Tuesday on the 300 block of Ridge Avenue, Guenther said.

Burglar steals $500 worth of video game consoles and games

A burglar stole about $500 worth of video game consoles and games Sunday from a residence on the 200 block of Custer Street, Guenther said.

The apartment’s resident reported an Xbox, Wii and various video games missing, he said.

There was no sign of forced entry.

Thief steals purse from office

A person stole a woman’s purse from an unsecured office on the 1600 block of Chicago Avenue Wednesday, Guenther said.

The woman is not an Evanston resident, but her place of business is in the city, he said.

The purse contained a wallet, keys, iPhone, $50, a checkbook and credit cards.