A red 2004 Ford Explorer was pulled over on the 600 block of Thomas Avenue after an officer had a suspicion that a stack of tires in the trunk were a pile of stolen spares. The incident occurred on May 24 at 3:28 p.m.

The officer first noticed the vehicle because of an expired temporary license plate. After conducting a check, the officer realized that the temporary plate did not even belong to the SUV. As the officer pulled closer he noticed several tires in the trunk that seemed to be dirty but not used. He derived that they were stolen spares.

He pulled over the suspects, Anthony Griffin of Country Club Hills and Terry Haygood of Chicago. Griffin, 37, was incapable of providing proof of insurance and when asked about the tires, the officer observed that the suspect’s response was nervous and evasive.

After fully inspecting the vehicle the officer found that the suspects had in their possession several tire irons, heavy duty wire cutters and a crow bar.

The two suspects have had previous convictions for stealing tires and Haygood at the time of the arrest was reportedly heard saying, “I think we got popped off at the last one.” The estimated value of the stolen tires is $525.

Burglary to vehicle
• A Chicago man had his 1993 red, two door Ford Explorer broken into on the 7600 block of Roosevelt Road. The incident occurred on May 26 at 2:15 p.m.

A witnessed noticed the unknown defender standing next to a shattered driver side window. When the witness approached the suspect the man fled the scene and drove away in a light blue, two door Dodge Neon.

The suspect noticed that the witness was copying down the vehicle’s temporary license plate so he removed and folded it.   

Nothing was taken from the vehicle and the only damage was a broken driver side window.

• A Forest Park woman had her four door, green 1995 Honda Civic broken into on the 7200 block of Roosevelt Road. The unknown offender gained entry to the locked vehicle by unknown means, and stole the AM/FM CD car stereo by prying it out of the dash. The vehicle showed no signs of forced entry.

• A green, four door Geo Prism was burglarized on the 1100 block of Circle Avenue on May 26 between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. The unknown offender gained entry into the vehicle through an unlocked driver-side door and stole a five dollar bill and three dollars in change.
Damage to property
• A Forest Park man on the 800 block of Circle Avenue reported that seven of his block glass windows were broken. The officer on the scene reported that the damaged appeared to be aged.

Retail theft
• Maria Cebula of Cicero was allegedly caught stealing four bras and three pairs of panties from Wal-Mart, 1300 Desplaines Ave. The 33-year-old suspect was apprehended on May 24 at 2:46 p.m. after she had passed the last point of purchase with the aforementioned items concealed in her purse.

Traffic arrest
• Brandon Humphrey of Westmont was pulled over on the 600 block of Harlem Avenue for allegedly drinking and driving. The officer originally spotted Humphrey on the 800 block of Harlem and was forced to pursue him for two blocks. In that span Humphrey acquired a flat tire after he swerved and hit the median. He continued to drive away from the officer, passing several open parking lots until finally pulling over into Thorntons gas station.

Humphrey had an expired driver’s license and no proof of insurance. The officer spotted a near empty 750mL bottle of Canadian Whiskey in the front seat. When asked why he hit the median Humphrey allegedly responded, “Because I was checking to see if you were still behind me.”

Humphrey admitted to drinking and told the officer to not waste his time with a field sobriety test. Humphrey’s intoxication started when he was working on his car brakes earlier that day with friends, he reportedly said. He admitted to drinking a six-pack and several shots of whiskey. Humphrey attributed his drinking to a problem he has with his ex-girlfriend.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between May 18 and May 26 and represents a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in this report has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not yet been adjudicated.
%uFFFD%uFFFD”compiled by Povilas Zukauskas