Police were called to remove a disorderly patron at the Forest Park Public Library who, after refusing to dispose of an unlit cigarette, began swearing at staff and police alike.

Carl Sanders, a 44-year-old Maywood resident, allegedly launched into a tirade of racial slurs and obscenities on Jan. 10 when police arrived to escort him from the building at noon, according to a department report. After twice asking Sanders for his birth date and name, the responding officer concluded he was going to receive little cooperation.

“I asked Sanders again what his name and date of birth was and he gave me the same answers,” the officer said in his incident report. “Not recognizing ‘[expletive] you, you cracker mother [expletive]’ as a date on any calendar that I am familiar with, I took that to mean he would not be giving me the information.”

Sanders was charged with disorderly conduct and attempted obstruction of a police officer.

Gang member nabbed for theft

According to police, an admitted gang member was taken into custody earlier this month after attempting to steal liquor from a CVS drug store on Circle Avenue.

Aric A. Kirksey, 32, allegedly told police he is an active member of the Vice Lords street gang after he was arrested for theft, battery and resisting arrest. Shortly after 10 a.m. on Jan. 7, Kirksey, of Chicago, was seen by CVS staff hiding bottles of alcohol in a black bag. Police arrived to see Kirksey running out of the store with two employees giving chase.

The suspect first appeared to comply with the officer’s orders to stop, but then dropped the bag and took off running toward Harlem Avenue. A foot chase with the officer led to a parking lot behind the Nut Bush tavern on Harlem Avenue where Kirksey attempted to hide under a parked car, according to a police report.

Once in custody, police noticed several tattoos that resembled gang symbols, and inquired as to their meaning.

Burglar passes on gun, laptop

A Lathrop Avenue home containing valuable electronics and a stocked firearm cabinet was apparently burglarized, however, the thief left with only a knife and $10 in change.

On Jan. 10 the occupants of the single-family home returned to find a shotgun propped against the back door after it had apparently been removed from a locked safe. Also disturbed but not taken was a laptop computer that had been unplugged and placed by the stairs leading from the basement to the first floor.

According to a police report, the suspect(s) used a tire iron to open the gun safe, but took only a three-bladed triangular knife, leaving the shotgun and the laptop behind.

A neighbor reported hearing “pounding noises” between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. No suspects were identified in the department’s report.

Grease fire contained to kitchen

A grease fire that began on the kitchen stove damaged the wall and kitchen ceiling of a home at 335 Desplaines Ave., however, the occupants were not harmed.

At 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, police and fire units were called to the first floor of the property after attempts were made by the resident to douse the flames with water. That effort only spread the fire, which was brought under control by firefighters. Some structural damage to the ceiling and wall was sustained, according to a police report.

Welfare check nets cocaine

A man found slumped over in the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet van was charged with drug possession after police found a bag of cocaine between the front seats of the vehicle.

According to a police report, Ruben Macias, 40, was sitting in his blue Chevy Venture at 10 a.m. on Jan. 9 in the parking lot of 949 Harlem Ave. when police stopped to make sure he was alright. Macias, whose address was redacted from the report, was unable to produce any identification. A computer check revealed his license was revoked and the officer arrested him.

A search of the van revealed roughly one gram of cocaine in a knotted plastic bag. According to the report, Macias admitted to buying the drug earlier that day in Chicago and was intending to snort the substance in the parking lot where he was arrested.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Jan. 7, 2006 and Jan. 14, 2007, 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