Stolen Car Driven 70 MPH Down Dempster

Reneil Downer, 17, of Niles was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle after police spotted him driving a 2010 Mercedes SUV on Feb. 12 at 9 a.m., they said. A computer check showed the vehicle was reported stolen from Winnetka.

Police followed the vehicle eastbound on Dempster Street from Grand, and the driver accelerated to speeds of 70 mph or more, driving recklessly by crossing the center median and double yellow lines, according to the report. The officer stopped giving chase in order not to create a safety hazard for the public. Police issued an area-wide dispatch for the vehicle.

At 11:53 p.m., Downer's mother called police for a followup to a missing person's report she had filed earlier. An officer went to her home in the 8200 block of Dempster, and she said her son had returned home but didn't know police had been called, according to the report.

Police took Downer into custody. A database check showed he had an active warrant for a parole violation, issued Feb. 11. Police searched his belongings and found a Mercedes Benz ignition key, a condom and two CTA bus passes.

Police recovered the vehicle in the 8200 block of Park on Feb. 13 just after midnight and contacted the Winnetka Police Department. The Cook County state's attorney approved one felony count and charged Downer as an adult.

His court date is pending.

Home on Albion burglarized

A 36-year-old woman reported Feb. 13 that her home, in the 6600 block of Albion, had been burglarized sometime between 10:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Police are investigating.

Information is taken from Niles Police Department reports.

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