NEWS RELEASE
RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT 31 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL 60546
30 April 2014
Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chief Tom Weitzel
tweitzel@[Link]
708.447.2127
Follow RPD on Twitter @riverside
Riverside Police Make Theft Arrest for Stolen UPS Packages
Off-duty federal agent assists Riverside officers in arresting suspect On Tuesday April 29, 2014 at 4:46 p.m., the Riverside Police Department received two 9-1-1 phone calls reporting a theft in progress on the 200 block of Northwood Road. The first complainant stated that several packages were stolen off her front porch, and she witnessed the suspect fleeing northbound from the scene. The second 9-1-1 call reported that an individual was struggling with another individual on the north end of the 200 block of Northwood Road. When the first Riverside Police officer arrived, he found that the suspect was being detained by a federal special agent, who was off duty at the time but is a resident of Riverside. Riverside Police took the suspect into custody as a result of being detained by the federal agent. The suspect still had the packages in his possession and Riverside Police transported the offender back to the Riverside Police Department for further investigation and processing. Once in police custody, it was learned that the offender, Benjamin Trevino, 20 of Cicero had been riding his bike in a southbound direction on Northwood Road stealing packages from people's front porches. The off-duty federal agent observed the offender riding a girl's bicycle and he observed the individual get off the bike, walk up to a front door on the 200 block of Northwood and heard a female yelling at the suspect in the driveway. The off-duty federal agent realized that there was some type of disturbance taking place. He exited his vehicle and determined that there had been a theft in progress and he physically took the offender into custody and called Riverside Police to report the incident. Once in police custody, the offender stated that he was riding his bike from Cicero looking for anything to still. The police recovered several items that were in UPS packages that had been opened including prescription drugs. Riverside Police had experienced UPS and Fed Ex package thefts over the last several weeks and believed that the suspect, Benjamin Trevino, is related to those although he denied any involvement in other thefts.
It was further learned during the investigation that the individual had come from Broadview just before committing the theft in Riverside. It was learned through the Broadview Police that Mr. Trevino was in Broadview earlier in the day attempting to sell his bicycle in the Target parking lot for money or a video game. Additionally, police learned that Mr. Trevino was out on bond for a retail theft case in Berwyn which he committed at the Marshall's Store on April 26, 2014. Due to the value of the products taken, Mr. Trevino was charged with two separate counts of misdemeanor theft. Police did contact felony review for additional felony charges but were denied because the value was not over the threshold for a felony crime. Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel stated, This arrest would absolutely not have been possible without the assistance of a Riverside resident, who is a federal law enforcement agent who lives in Riverside. This individual heard the screaming from one of his neighbors and took immediate action to apprehend the offender and hold him until Riverside Police arrived. As Chief, I am extremely gratified that not only would a resident assist the police department but that a federal agent from another jurisdiction would use his law enforcement authority to make an arrest of an individual who had obviously been committing numerous thefts throughout the area. Arrested by Riverside Police was Benjamin Trevino, 20 of the 1800 block of South 57 th Court in Cicero. Mr. Trevino was charged with two counts of misdemeanor theft and was held for bond court as Riverside Police filed a violation of bond conditions for his arrest based on the April 26 arrest in Berwyn for retail theft. Mr. Trevino is a self-admitted Satin Disciple street gang member. His criminal history includes 8 prior arrests and conviction for theft and battery. Riverside Police have notified the UPS corporate security of the incident and arrest. The federal agent is a Riverside resident and works for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General/Investigations in Chicago.
###
Members of the public are reminded that this arrest and complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendants guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the governments burden to prove his or her gui lt beyond a reasonable doubt.