Four people — two teens and two adults — have been arrested and charged with a variety of crimes stemming from a string attacks in southeast Rockford.
According to Rockford police, two teenage boys, ages 13 and 14, terrorized the neighborhood near Twenty-Fifth Street Park in southeast Rockford for days beating people, throwing rocks before attacking a couple with a gun on South Mulford Road.
Their search for the two teens then led them to what they believe was a counterfeit money operation in another part of town.
Police outlined the events that led to the four arrests in a news release issued Friday afternoon.
The release contained the following details.
- Police investigated an attack on a couple walking on South Mulford Road on Sept. 23. According to police, the couple was walking when two teens verbally harassed them, pointed a gun at them and struck the man with the gun. The man fought with one of the boys before both boys fled on foot.
- After the Sept. 23 attack, police said they connected the two teens to several similar incidents that took place between Sept. 11 and 13 near Twenty-Fifth Street Park. Police said neighbors reported two teenaged boys walking through yards and verbally harassing them and slapping and throwing rocks at an elderly man. A man also reported to police that he was threatened with a gun and a knife.
- Police obtained arrest warrants for the teenagers and search warrants for their residences.
- Police executed one of those search warrants at a residence on Regan Street. One of the teens was located there and taken into custody.
- Police executed the second search warrant on Santa Monica Drive where a man, later identified as Carl Smith, 33, jumped out of a window and fled. After a foot chase, Smith was arrested on a robbery warrant from Indiana.
- Police located a 3-month-old baby in the home on Santa Monica Drive. A short time after Smith’s arrest, police said a woman — Katherine Weinsheim, 37, arrived and tried to take the baby. Police said Weinsheim refused to identify the baby and was uncooperative and made threats against police.
- Police said Weinsheim attempted to flee and was arrested. The baby was put in protective custody.
- During the investigation, police found a firearm that was reported stolen from Mississippi, a large amount of counterfeit United States currency and a printer used to print counterfeit currency.
- The other teen suspect in the case was located at another location and taken into custody.