Crime & Safety
Woman's Tires Slashed After She Declines Man's Attention, Police Say
An arrest is merely an accusation, not evidence of a conviction.
James Sabatino, 60, of Bartlett, was charged with criminal damage to property Jan. 19 just before 11:30 a.m.
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A police investigator spoke to a Niles woman who said Sabatino had slashed the tires on her vehicle multiple times in the last couple of weeks, according to police; seven tires had been damaged, in incidents in Schaumburg, Des Plaines and Niles.
Video surveillance of the most recent incident showed a man bending down and punching the tires of the parked car with an object, according to the report. The woman identified the subject and pointed out details of the jacket he was wearing, saying he "always" wears it, police said.
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The cost to replace the two tires was $320.
The woman said she had been friends with the suspect for almost three years, but that he wanted to pursue a dating relationship and she did not. After she declined to see him, she said he called more frequently and she saw him near her apartment more frequently.
On Jan. 18, the woman told Niles police the suspect had an appointment to show up at her place of business, a salon, on Jan. 19, and police approached him when he arrived in his car for the appointment and charged, booked and processed him. His court date is Feb. 21 in the Skokie branch of Cook County courts.
Michael Solovastru, 22, of Morton Grove was charged Jan. 16 with DUI, resisting a peace officer and driving on an expired driver's license after police said they observed him driving 55 mph in a 35 mph stretch in the 9000 block of Milwaukee Avenue.
Police said Solovastru failed to stop for four to five blocks after the officer turned on his squad car emergency lights, and that the officer observed an odor of alcohol on Solovastru's breath.
When asked for his driver's license, Solovastru proffered a traffic citation, police said, and the officer observed two beer bottles in the vehicle's middle console.
According to the report, Solovastru showed impairment on field sobriety tests and police advised him he was under arrest and ordered him to place his hands behind his back; he did not comply, and did not comply after a second order.
Police grabbed his right arm to try to put him into handcuffs, according to the report, and he pushed and pulled away, but police were able to get him into handcuffs.
Solovastru was also cited for speeding; his court date is Feb. 21.
Information is taken from Niles Police Department reports.
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