After Ex Scatters Woman's Checks, Someone Drains Money From Account

A 21-year-old Niles woman called police Tuesday to report that on Aug. 8, her bank account balance went from $151.86 to $1.86. She checked her account and learned that someone had cashed a fraudulent $150 check at a bank teller window in Niles. She froze the account. Later, someone tried to cash a fraudulent check for $200, but it didn't go through.  The woman said she doesn't know the person to whom the checks were made out. She didn't write the checks, and the signature was not hers. 

She told police she was a victim of domestic battery on Aug. 7 in Des Plaines, in which her 22-year-old ex-boyfriend ripped blank checks out of her check book, threw them out the window and threatened to drain money from her account. She went outside to retrieve the blank checks. Cook County Sheriff's police charged the ex-boyfriend with domestic battery that day, and she has an order of protection against him. She has also filed a forgery report with Des Plaines police. Police are investigating. 

Man charged for driving without license

Uriel Hurtado, 39, of South Artesian Street, Chicago, was charged with driving without a valid driver's license on Monday at about 11 a.m. after police stopped him for driving slowly down the 8100 block of Merrill, Niles and looking at numerous houses. Hurtado told police he didn't have a valid driver's license or insurance. Police verified he didn't have a license. His court date is Sept. 27 in the Skokie branch of the Cook County courts.