NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT

31 Riverside Road
Riverside, Illinois 60546

March 1, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Chief Tom Weitzel

708 447 2127 tweitzel@riverside.il.us

Riverside Police Close Case on Suspicious Person Taking Photos of Juveniles near School
Patrol Officer Spots Vehicle Described in Original Incident
On February 11, 2015 at 11:50 p.m., Riverside Police originally received a call of a suspicious person in a vehicle who
was taking pictures of juveniles in the area of Hauser and Ames Schools. The students reported the incident to school
staff who then notified the police.
During the investigation, it was learned that the female individual never had any physical contact with the juveniles but
had asked them if she could take their pictures which they agreed to. Even though the juveniles consented, it was
inappropriate for an adult to ask young females to do such a thing. Therefore, Riverside Police opened an investigation
for suspicious circumstances. The information was broadcast to both school districts and the local media.
On February 19, 2015 at 10:08 p.m., an observant Riverside Police officer stopped a vehicle at Woodside and
Maplewood that matched the description the juveniles had given to the police in the initial incident. It was described as a
gray Honda with a taillight out, driven by a female with long, black hair. Through conversations during the traffic stop
(eastern European speech), police believed this may be the female involved in the incident. Her identification and
information were taken down and she was released as there were no criminal charges pending.
A subsequent follow-up investigation by displaying a photo lineup to the juveniles revealed that the individual stopped by
Riverside Police was the same person who had been taking pictures in the area of the school. This was a 52-year-old
female Riverside resident who also matched the description given by the juveniles on the day the pictures were taken.
In an unrelated incident, this same female had entered a business in Riverside and started filming people inside the
business. When she was questioned as to why she was filming by a patron, she said this was America and she could
do what she wanted. The patron then took a picture of her and reported it to police. That same picture taken by the
alert Riverside resident was the same individual who was stopped by Riverside Police on the 19th.
As there was no criminal act that had taken place in the original incident as the female never made physical contact or
did anything unlawful, there were no criminal charges. However, the female was warned not to do this type of alarming
behavior with young girls and stay away from area schools unless she had lawful business to conduct on their premises.
Riverside Police is not releasing the individual's name as no crime took place and no criminal charges were placed.