More than 20 cartons of cigarettes stolen from car

Thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes were stolen Thursday from a car near Evanston’s border with Skokie, according to police.

The Dodge Caravan was broken into between 11:50 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. in the 2400 block of Main Street, Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said. The 42-year-old owner of the vehicle had just bought more than 20 cartons  of cigarettes at Sam’s Club, 2450 Main St.

Parrott estimated the total cost of the cartons is “several thousands of dollars … at minimum.”

He said similar incidents have happened in the Sam’s Club parking lot but did not know whether the latest robbery was related to them.

Detectives are looking for video of the incident.

Man robs daycare teacher at church

A man robbed a daycare teacher Wednesday morning at First United Methodist Church, according to police.

Parrott said the teacher discovered her purse had been taken out of a cabinet in the church, 516 Church St. Sixty dollars was missing from it.

Video surveillance shows the man entering the church at about 11:25 a.m. and walking toward the basement where the purse was kept, Parrott said.

Police described the man as black, 30 to 40 years old, having a mustache and wearing a button-down shirt and black shoes.

— Patrick Svitek