Thanks to everyone for making our 9th annual trivia night a spectacular event. The sponsors, volunteers and especially you the attendees all came together to make it an amazing experience and we're already starting to plan the next one!  While you're looking over your results for this year, don't forget to pencil us in for next year, Feb. 2nd 2019, we'll do it even bigger and hope to see you and all your friends there.

There’s been a series of thefts from fitness centers in the area and Crime Stoppers needs your tips to help solve these crimes. In the past week, police have taken several reports of items being stolen from lockers in the fitness centers or from cars parked outside gyms while the victims were working out. Police are investigating these thefts and hope you can help identify the thieves. Please remember that you should never leave anything of value visible in a car and always lock your car while you’re working out. Also, secure items with padlocks in fitness center lockers. In some of these incidents, the thieves removed just the credit cards and ID’s from purses and wallets and then placed thousands of dollars of charges on the cards.

A Bank Robbery suspect has targeted banks on Springfield’s west side three times in recent weeks and Crime Stoppers has surveillance photos on our website. The first robbery occurred on September 28th at the INB branch on Chatham Road and the most recent one occurred on Friday October 7th at Chase Bank on Veterans Parkway. Crime Stoppers urges you to look at the photos on our website and see if you can identify the perpetrator. The robber was a white male, perhaps in his 40’s or 50’s. In the first two robberies he had salt and pepper hair, in the most recent one it appeared he may have dyed his hair black. He has worn button down dress shirts or a polo shirt under a jacket.

For the second time in a week a bank robbery has taken place in Springfield and Crime Stoppers has new surveillance photographs on our website. The first robbery occurred on September 28th at the Illinois National Bank branch at 2601 Chatham Road. The second one occurred at about 12:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday October 3rd at the PNC bank at 3019 Chatham Road. Crime Stoppers urges you to take a look at the new photos and see if you can identify the perpetrator. You can clearly see that the robber was a white male, perhaps in his 40’s or 50’s. He had salt and pepper hair and a blue button down dress shirt.

UPDATE: Another robbery w/ same suspect at PNC bank (New pictures release) click "Read more" for new pictures

A Bank Robbery occurred on Wednesday September 28th at approximately 1 pm at the Chatham Road branch of INB near Iles avenue and Crime Stoppers is hoping your tips can help solve this crime. The perpetrator of the robbery was a white male in his 40’s who stood approximately 6 foot tall and had a slim build weighing approximately 170 pounds. He had salt and pepper hair which went to the collar. During the robbery he passed a note to a teller which implied that he had a weapon although none was seen. Police have surveillance video of the robbery and we have posted a photograph of the suspect. If you recognize the suspect, leave a tip.

This week's Crime of the Week involves a strong armed robbery which occurred at the Head West Sandwich Shop on Toronto Road in Springfield on September 1st. The victim reported that he was making preparations to open the business at approximately 9:30 am when he was battered at the rear of the business by an unknown person. The six foot tall perpetrator was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood concealing his entire face. He left the area eastbound on foot.

An Armed Robbery to a person occurred at Spring and Cook Street outside of a convenience store on August 25th at 11 pm and police are hoping you can help identify the perpetrators. On that evening a customer was leaving the store when he was struck in the head and face with a handgun by a subject who was waiting in the lot. The suspect, a black male in his mid to late 20’s, fired one shot which grazed the victim. The suspect left with two other black males in a sky blue Dodge Journey. The incident was captured on surveillance video and can be seen by clicking "Read More".

Crime Stoppers is looking for tips about a shooting incident which occurred during the early morning hours of July 9th on Forest Avenue in Springfield. Sangamon County Sheriff detectives are investigating the shooting in which a person, who was sleeping in a mobile home, was shot by the occupant of a vehicle that drove through the mobile home park. The victim, who was not believed to have been targeted, died several days after being struck by the random shot. Detectives are analyzing security video from the area but need your tips to help solve this random act of violence.

Police in Springfield are looking for information about a hit and run traffic incident in which a female pedestrian was struck by a vehicle as she and another female were crossing the street in the crosswalk at 11th and South Grand Ave. The incident occurred on July 23rd at 12:45 am. Witnesses reported that the suspect vehicle was a newer model white Ford Mustang with black stripes along the top of the hood and trunk and the vehicle had an orange or yellow registration plate. The victim was hospitalized and is now recovering from her injuries.

As summer continues to bring hot and muggy conditions in the daytime in Central Illinois, thieves are busy engaging in a crime of opportunity in the overnight hours. While decent people who work for what they own are sleeping, and the cars they purchased through that hard work are parked in their driveways, the few who lack the common sense to know right from wrong are busy stealing from parked cars. Springfield Police have taken numerous reports at Southside and Westside neighborhoods of items being stolen in these burglaries to vehicles. A majority of the vehicles which were burglarized were left unlocked with property inside which was then stolen. Avoid being victimized, never leave anything of any value in a car overnight.

Crime Stoppers is looking for information about an armed robbery which occurred just after midnight on August 3 at the Qik-n-Ez on Toronto Road in Springfield. In the robbery, a masked subject entered the business and fired a gunshot near the front entrance. He then approached the front counter area and took the contents of a cash register. After grabbing the money, he left southbound on foot. No one was injured by the single shot which was fired in the business. The suspect was described as a male, approximately 5'8" tall with a medium build who was wearing all black.