Man steals power washer from Home Depot

A man stole equipment Wednesday from a Home Depot by attempting to return merchandise he never bought and leaving the store with a replacement for the product, police said.

The man entered the store at 2201 Oakton St. empty-handed, took a new power washer out of a box and asked to return it at the service station, saying it was not working. The man was given a replacement for the product, a Dewalt power washer valued at $600, that he took with him, Evanston police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said.

The theft occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. No arrests have been made in the case, Dugan said.

When the service desk reported suspicious behavior by the man, including that he didn’t have a receipt, security at the store looked at video surveillance, police said.

This is not the first time Dugan has heard of people stealing from stores in this manner, he said.

Juvenile arrested in connection with vehicle burglaries

A male juvenile was charged with one count of burglary to a motor vehicle at approximately 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. 

Two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, were seen checking the door handles on vehicles by an Evanston Police Department patrol officer in the 2700 block of Ashland Avenue, according to EPD. The officer stopped and searched the individuals and found an iPhone and loose change from the juveniles, police said.

The iPhone was allegedly taken from an unlocked Dodge Caravan parked in the 2100 block of Wesley Avenue and the change was allegedly taken from an unlocked Jeep in the 1700 block of Chancellor Street, police said.

While the 16 year old was arrested and transported to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, the 17 year old was released without charges. 

The owner of the iPhone declined to pursue matters further. The 16-year-old Chicago resident faces only charges for stealing loose change. 

Police could not elaborate further on details of the arrests due to the age of the alleged perpetrators, Dugan said.

The arresting officer was patrolling the area in response to recent burglaries of motor vehicles. 

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