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Man robs Northfield candy store, similar holdups in Glenview and Wilmette
A knife-wielding man attempted to rob Claire's accessory store in The Glen Thursday morning in Glenview. | TODD SHIELDS ~ SUN-TIMES MEDIA
Updated: May 18, 2012 1:52PM
Northfield Police report that a robber made off with an undisclosed amount of money from a Northfield candy store Thursday morning after brandishing a knife. It was the third such crime in two days.
The robbery took place at 10:35 a.m., only a half hour after a similar robbery attempt in Glenview was thwarted.
A white man walked into Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 300 S. Happ Road, Northfield, and wielded a knife at an employee there, according to Northfield Police. The robber left the candy store with an undislosed amount of money, police said. Nearby schools were notified of the crime, police added.
In the Glenview attempt, a man entered Claire’s, an accessory shop at 2031 Tower Center, minutes after opening at 10 a.m. and pretended to shop for his sister until the only customer left.
Store manager Crystal Tolzien was not at the store during the robbery, but she said the man, who looked to be 18 to 23 years old, ordered the employee to open the cash register.
The employee said she was unable to open it.
“He then said, ‘I don’t want to do this and pulled out a steak knife,’” said Tolzien, adding the man started counting to three.
“She started walking away from the register to the side and he followed, but she ran around the register the other way and out the front door. He ran out, too, and got into a silver Dodge minivan as a passenger.”
“I’m just happy my girl didn’t get hurt. No lives or money were taken,” said Tolzien, who has worked at Claire’s for three years and has never heard of a robbery at The Glen before.
The suspect was described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 180 pounds, with dirty blond hair. He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with “Lifeguard” on the front.
A man who robbed a store in Wilmette the previous day was wearing a similar sweatshirt.
According to police, a man walked into the Yellow Bird Stationery store in the Plaza Del Lago shopping center about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, May 16. He reportedly handed the clerk a note demanding money and claimed to be armed with the knife. The man didn’t show the knife, however.
After taking $200, he left the store and walked north, police authorities said. Officers searched the entire plaza on Sheridan Road, but were unable to find him.
Witnesses described the stationery store robber as a white male in his early 20s, with short, dark brown hair. He was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds. He wore a red zip-up hooded sweatshirt with the word “lifeguard” printed on it and dark brown khaki shorts.
“Additionally,” police reported, “the offender had a strong odor of cigarette smoke.”
