Three drivers arrested at DUI checkpoint
Police arrested three drivers, two for driving under the influence and one for not having a driver’s license, during a safety checkpoint conducted on the 1100 block of Desplaines Avenue, July 2.
Police said traffic was relatively light throughout the night. At first, every fourth car was stopped. Later, when traffic was lighter, every third and fourth car was stopped. In addition to the three arrests, 12 state citations were issued to drivers for not having proof of insurance, and another 17 compliance tickets were issued for not wearing seatbelts. One driver was also cited for not having a 2-year-old in a safety seat.
“Overall, the checkpoint went well. There were no injuries to any officers and most of the motorists stopped were very cooperative and understanding,” said Deputy Chief Tom Aftanas. Along with Aftanas, four patrol officers and 10 auxiliary officers assisted with the checkpoint.
Drugs found during traffic stop
Police stopped Donnell McKinley, 27, for a traffic violation on July 4. When a computer check showed his license was suspended, he was arrested. A front seat passenger was asked to exit the car, and police then conducted a search, finding a bag in the center console containing 10 small knotted bags of marijuana, weighing 10 grams total, and one containing two grams of crack cocaine.
McKinley told police that the drugs were his and that the passenger did not know they were in the car. The passenger said the same, and was released without being charged. McKinley admitted he uses the drugs, but said he does not sell them. He was issued a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Man kicks cop, damages squad car
William P. Wallace, 45, of Forest Park was charged with five counts of battery, three counts of resisting a police officer, and two counts of criminal damage to property after several violent outbursts with victims, including his roommate, a police officer and a nurse.
Responding to a call of a disturbance on the 1100 block of Hannah Avenue, police found a man who said he lived with Wallace lying in a backyard complaining of abdominal pains. Police also found that at least four windows broken in the apartment where they lived.
The roommate said Wallace had been drinking all day and became verbally abusive. He said he left the apartment to give Wallace time to cool off, but returned to find him breaking the windows, and the two got into a physical altercation. Police later also found the apartment was ransacked.
Ofc. Fran Marocco spotted Wallace in a nearby backyard. He resisted arrest, but was eventually handcuffed and placed in a squad car. He then kicked out the car’s rear window, damaging the doorframe. When Marocco opened the door, Wallace allegedly kicked him in the thigh.
He was taken to Oak Park Hospital, where he reportedly kicked a nurse three times before being treated in an isolation room. He later told police he was a recovering alcoholic but recent events had led him to drink again. He said he had consumed at least a liter of vodka in about two hours the night of the incidents and had no recollection of the events that occurred.
The cost of repairing the door was estimated at $801.
Man threatens Portillo’s patrons
Police responded to a disturbance in the parking lot outside Portillo’s, 7400 Roosevelt Road, on July 4 to find Raymond Lynch, 60, of Chicago, standing in front of the store’s manager holding a 3.5-inch, stainless-steel folding knife.
The manager said Lynch was intoxicated and had been harassing customers inside the restaurant. When he was asked to leave, he pulled the knife and said, “I’ll cut off your head.”
Police placed Lynch in custody and entered his knife into evidence. He was charged with aggravated assault and criminal trespassing.
Man arrested for illegal fireworks
Police arrived at the intersection of 13th Street and Elgin Avenue to find a man lighting fireworks in the street. When Ofc. Steve Zanoni approached the man, Damon Jamar Clemons, 30, confronted him.
Told that the fireworks were illegal, Clemons reportedly said, “I can kill 75 people for my country in Iraq, but I can’t light any fireworks for my kids at home?” Asked to hand over the fireworks, Clemons reportedly insisted that he would rather be arrested. He later calmed down at the station, telling police he should have just given up the fireworks to avoid trouble. He was issued a citation for illegal possession of fireworks.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between July 1 and July 7 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
