A bartender cited on at least two other occasions for the same offense was issued a ticket earlier this month for serving alcohol after hours.
Ryan Draper, a 29-year-old River Forest resident, received his latest citation on March 5, shortly after 2 a.m. According to a police report, Draper was verbally combative toward officers and ultimately wound up with a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly flicking an unlit cigarette at an officer.
“The judge threw out the other two tickets saying you were wasting his time and had no right to cite me from the start,” Draper allegedly said. “Go ahead, you have my name. I’m gonna leave. Write the (expletive) thing.”
The incident began when officers responded to a report of several vehicles parked behind Kevil’s Restaurant at 7228 Circle Ave. Once inside, police reportedly found several signs that customers were still being served alcohol despite a village ordinance prohibiting such action at the late hour.
A records check at the department showed Draper was also cited on Oct. 16, 2006, and Oct. 22, 2006, according to the incident report.
Police follow call to domestic
A 60-year-old Franklin Avenue man was arrested on domestic violence charges after police received an ominous 911 call on March 4.
Shortly after 9 p.m. dispatchers received a call from an apartment on Franklin in which a woman was screaming amid sounds of a scuffle. A return call revealed the line was busy and officers were dispatched. Upon arriving, a “calm” Edward E. Wilson answered the door while his wife of two years was “crying and yelling hysterically,” according to a department report.
Interviews with the couple allegedly revealed that a dispute of claims of infidelity erupted into a physical confrontation. Each accused the other of instigating the violence.
Wilson refused treatment for what appeared to be superficial scratches to his face, according to police, and the alleged victim also declined medical treatment. The suspect was charged with domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of a domestic dispute.
DUI suspect blew legal limit
A drunk driving suspect blew almost twice the legal limit after failing three field sobriety tests during the early morning hours of March 9, according to police.
Joseph F. Merchen, 23, allegedly registered a blood-alcohol level of .151 after he was arrested along the 300 block of Harlem Avenue. Merchen, whose address was redacted from public records, was reportedly seen driving erratically and almost struck the curb of the roadway, according to a police report.
Once outside of the vehicle, officers asked the suspect to consent to three field sobriety tests. According to the incident report he failed all three.
Alleged thieves found under car
Two men are facing felony theft charges for allegedly stealing several clothing items from Kmart earlier this month.
Cedric H. Frison, 36, and Tracy Wilburn, 34, were reportedly found hiding underneath a parked car in a garage on Dunlop Avenue at about 5 p.m. on March 3. According to a police report, Frison was already wearing the pajamas-tags and all-that he is suspected of taking.
“We just took some clothes, we’re just boosters, we don’t have any weapons,” the suspects reportedly said when police found them under the car.
Under questioning at the police station, Frison allegedly admitted to taking the pajamas and a suit from the department store. Wilburn on the other hand, denied taking any items from the store.
To locate the two men, authorities followed a trail of footprints in the snow leading to the locked garage. The owner of the property provided a key.
Multiple burglaries
On March 5, police received at least three reports of burglaries in Forest Park, two of which are alleged to have occurred at residences.
Between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. that day, one person reported a number of power tools worth some $1,600 stolen from their van. The vehicle was parked on Circle Avenue at the time, according to a police report.
At about 4 p.m. a Marengo Avenue resident said she was at home taking a nap when her purse was stolen from her kitchen counter. The alleged victim reported $60 in cash and several credit cards among the items missing.
At about 10 p.m. that evening, a man living in an apartment at 1229 Harlem Ave. reportedly stuffed his income tax refund under his mattress, and then left his apartment. When he returned at about 10 p.m. the following night, the alleged victim said the $2,200 windfall was missing from its hiding place.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between March 3, 2007 and March 9, 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
