Newsroom

Springfield, like most other cities in world, found dozens of people collecting virtual Poke Balls in the Pokémon Go game last week and, like many other areas, there was an incident which required police involvement. On July 13 between 9 and 10 in the evening a female was playing the game near 7th and Jackson when she was approached by a black female who had braided hair pulled up into a ponytail. The victim was then tackled by black male who beat her, stomped on her back, and took her blue Samsung cell phone. The victim was treated at the hospital for injuries. Please, always be aware of your surroundings and alert to persons in the area.

This week Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information about a robbery which occurred in the parking lot of Mr. Gyro’s restaurant which is located on Martin Luther King Drive in Springfield. After a couple had made their order inside the restaurant at approximately 8 pm on July 9, the male victim returned to his car to wait for his food. As he approached his vehicle, however, he was attacked by three black males who were in their early 20’s. Two of the suspects were wearing white t-shirts and the third had a blue t-shirt on. All three suspects were slightly injured as the victim defended himself.

Date of Incident: April 5, 2008
Location: 1236 N. Oaklane Road
Victim: Michelle Bianco

Michelle Bianco was last seen and heard from on April 5th, 2008 at her cousin’s home at the 2100 block of South Grand Avenue East in Springfield. At the time Michelle had blond shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She was described as being a white female standing 5’7” tall and weighing 112 pounds. She was reported missing by her boyfriend who discovered her missing when he returned home from an out of town trip on April 6, 2008. No family or friends have spoken to her since she was last seen at her cousin’s home.

Police received information that on the evening of April 5, 2008 Michelle, also known as Shelly, was seen getting into a black Pontiac with a sunroof which was driven by a white male with a small build, black hair over his ears, and an unshaven face. The driver appeared to know Michelle and offered her a ride home which she willingly accepted. She has not been seen or heard from since. Due to the suspicious nature of her disappearance and the likelihood of foul play, Crime Stoppers is presenting this case to the public seeking information for investigators. If information is presented to Crime Stoppers which leads to an arrest of a person responsible for foul play in the disappearance and homicide of Michelle Bianco, Crime Stoppers will pay $5000 cash to the anonymous tipster.

Crime Stoppers is looking for information which might help in the investigation of two separate thefts of heavy equipment in the area. The first theft was of a red Kubota tractor which was on a trailer at a storage area on Route 4 in Chatham late on June 8th. The second theft, about a week later, was of a Toro Dingo excavator stolen from Buckley’s Landscaping on Chatham Road late at night on June 16th. Each of these stolen pieces of equipment is valued at approximately $20,000. We’ve posted photos of the stolen Kubota on our website. Do you have any information which detectives can use in their investigations of these felony thefts?

Victim: Norma Lipskis
Location of Incident: 6 Willimantic Dr. Rochester, IL
Date of Incident: July 25th, 2013

On July 25th 2013 at approximately 9:38 pm, Rochester Police Department responded to 6 Willimantic Road in reference to a 70 year old female lying on the bathroom floor. The female, later identified as Norma Lipskis, was found by responding Officer’s lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. After medical personnel had arrived at the house, it was determined Norma had passed away.

On the morning of July 29th 2013, the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Rochester Police Department and the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and was asked to assist with the investigation. After a review of the evidence, the death of Norma Lipskis was determined to be a Homicide.