Michael Martinez of Chicago and Ray Patton of Brookfield were involved in an altercation over a lawn chair while watching the No Gloves softball tournament in Forest Park on July 29.

Patton told police that he had played in a game and sat down to watch another, when Martinez approached and told him to “get the [expletive] out of my chair.” Patton said he replied by telling Martinez that he “doesn’t have to be an [expletive] about it,” at which time Martinez uttered a racial slur and began hitting Patton.

Martinez told police that he was assaulted by Patton and his friends after asking them for his chair back. As Martinez was speaking to police, Allan Ledbetter, a friend of Patton’s, reportedly hit him in the face with a closed fist.

Ledbetter told police that he lost his temper after hearing Martinez directing racial slurs at his friend.

Ledbetter and Martinez were both banned from the remainder of the softball tournament by Park District Director Dave Novak.

Neither Martinez nor Patton chose to press charges, and Martinez refused medical treatment for swelling under his eyes.

Garage burglary
Peter Znika of the 1100 block of Marengo in Forest Park allegedly entered his garage last week to find items missing, ranging from a heavy duty hammer drill set to a gray wheelbarrow.

Znika told police that he had sent his son, who had forgotten to close the overhead garage door after cleaning the garage, allowing thieves to enter on either July 25 or 26. The total value of the stolen goods was approximately $1170.

DUI, possession, speeding
A plain-clothes officer pulled over Maywood resident Cyprian Green for driving 59 mph on the 7600 block of Madison, where the speed limit is posted as 25 mph.

According to a police report, Cyprian struggled to open his car door, spoke in a slurred voice, smelled of alcohol, and was unable to produce his driver’s license and proof of insurance.

The officer saw a plastic baggie protruding from Green’s ashtray, and upon searching the car found 20 small baggies containing eight grams of an off-white, rocklike substance later confirmed to be crack cocaine. Green had $116 in cash on him at the time of the traffic stop, which was seized by police along with the drugs.

Burglary to auto, conspiracy theory
Kimvalyn S. Miller of Maywood told police that while she and her family were dining at the Old Country Buffet on Roosevelt Road July 29, her car was broken into and a radio, speaker and backpack were stolen.

According to a police report, when she was questioned by police, she accused the Forest Park Police Department of being in “cahoots” with the restaurant, alleging that the restaurant calls the police department when customers enter and the police break into their vehicles.

The report said she accused police of treating her like a child when they asked her about her missing possessions.

Jermaine Miller told police that he was also missing two JVL amplifiers and a nylon bag of drumsticks, though the bag was later found under a seat. The value of the missing possessions totaled $550.

Police found no signs of forced entry when they inspected the vehicle.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department from July 25 to 31 and represent only 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.

 “Compiled by Seth Stern