A local resident who insisted he had done nothing wrong after apparently leading police on a short chase is facing charges for driving under the influence, reckless driving and resisting arrest.
William T. Hambach, 43, was allegedly speeding down Madison Street shortly before 3 a.m. on Oct. 21, according to a police report. An officer tailed Hambach as he turned north onto Lathrop Avenue, reportedly going 55 mph in a 25-mph zone. After making two more turns onto Randolph and then Rockford streets, Hambach finally pulled his car over, police said.
The officer was immediately met with a barrage of “loud and boisterous” behavior that included allegations of police misconduct, according to the report.
“What the [expletive], I’m a Forest Park resident,” Hambach reportedly said to the officer as he walked toward the cruiser. “I live here and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Two officers struggled to place Hambach under arrest but were able to handcuff him and take him to the station. En route, Hambach allegedly continued his verbal assault and then refused to take any sobriety tests.
Throughout their written statement, officers reported a strong odor of alcohol on Hambach.
“You [expletive] jagoffs, I’m not taking any tests,” Hambach allegedly told police. “I didn’t do anything and I’m being treated badly by you guys.”
Hambach is scheduled to appear in court in December to answer to the charges.
CTA lot struck by thieves
Just weeks after announcing plans to install a secured pay system in the parking lot on the north side of the Des Plaines Avenue CTA lot, police arrested two suspects for allegedly taking money from the honor box system currently in place.
On Oct. 24 shortly after 3 p.m., police received a report from a woman who claimed to have witnessed a man using a bent coat hanger to extract money from the CTA lot pay station. Armed with her account and the vehicle registration number, officers responded to the home of Sherman Spight, a resident of 21st Avenue in nearby Maywood.
“Our agency has had previous contact with Sherman Spight for theft from the same machines and was convicted to 30 days in jail on 05/23/06,” police stated in their report.
Spight, 38, was charged with felony theft because of his previous conviction.
Three days later on Oct. 27, 19-year-old Carlos Jones of Woodridge, Ill., was picked up by police for allegedly using a bent piece of wire to manipulate the CTA lot boxes.
After reportedly watching Jones extract money from the machine, an officer arrested him and found six $1 bills and 35 cents. Jones reportedly told the officer he was homeless and that arresting him would be doing him a favor.
According to the police report, Jones was previously arrested for the same offense on June 1.
DUI suspect blames mystery driver
After initially telling police that another car caused his roll-over accident, Michael Balla allegedly admitted to being drunk and having flipped the vehicle on his own.
Forest Park police saw the 24-year-old Brookfield resident walking along Greensburg Road sometime after 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 21. Recognizing him from “past incidents,” police asked whether the man was all right. Balla allegedly claimed a Buick or Caprice had just smashed into his van causing the vehicle to roll over, and then sped away.
According to the police report, Balla smelled of alcohol, was slurring his speech and had bloodshot eyes.
Balla directed police to the accident scene, where the officer found no signs of a second vehicle having been involved in the crash, according to a police report. Balla allegedly told police he was “driving like an –hole,” and had to swerve to avoid hitting another car at the intersection of Greensburg and Desplaines.
Balla allegedly failed several field sobriety tests after admitting to drinking at a bar on Madison Street. A breathalyzer test revealed his blood alcohol level to be .18, according to police. The legal BAC limit is .08.
He is scheduled to appear in court in December.
Sixth time’s a charm
A 25-year-old Chicago resident with five previous convictions for driving on a suspended license was arrested on the charge for a sixth time.
Bryan Duran was spotted cutting through a carwash parking lot at the corner of Randolph and Harlem to avoid the traffic light on Oct. 21 when police stopped him. According to a department report, Duran also has two arrests for driving under the influence.
Forest Park police charged Duran with a felony for repeatedly driving without a valid license.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between October 21 and October 28, 2006, 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 been adjudicated.
Compiled by Josh Adams
