Man Arrested 99 Times Cops Plea, Gets 18 Months In Prison
MAYWOOD, Ill. (STMW) -- A Chicago man arrested for the 99th time when he was caught using his 3-year-old child as a ruse to beg for money pleaded guilty at his indictment hearing Monday and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Alberto Luis Alvarez, 37, of the 2500 block of North Harding Avenue, represented by a public defender, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice at his preliminary hearing, according to a release from Riverside police.
About 2:30 p.m. Aug. 10, Riverside police received a call of a suspicious man stopping people on the street to ask for money and begging door-to-door in the 7200 block of West Ogden Avenue, a release from police said.
Officers located Alvarez pushing a stroller with a small child inside, and when they questioned him, he refused to take his hands from his pockets, the release said. He then threw several clear plastic bags on the ground and tried to run away.
Police arrested him after a brief struggle, and found more heroin in his pockets, the release said.
After identifying Alvarez through fingerprints, it was discovered that he had 98 prior arrests and 23 convictions, ranging from burglary, robbery and larceny to assault, drugs and smuggling, the release said.
He was also found to have 10 dates of birth, nine names and five Social Security numbers used as aliases.
Riverside police chief Tom Weitzel called the case "simply mind-boggling" and described Alvarez as a repeat offender "who seems to laugh at the court system."
Investigators learned that Alvarez had been using his 3-year-old as a ruse to try and get money from residents by claiming to be injured, the release said. The child was turned over to a family member and the Department of Children & family Services was notified.
Alvarez was originally charged with possession of a controlled substance, obstruction of a police officer (destroying evidence), resisting arrest and child endangerment, the release said. He was being held without bond in the Cook County Jail.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
