An alleged underage drinking party that went into the early morning hours of Sunday, April 22 was broken up after police received a noise complaint.
According to a department report, four young men were charged with illegal consumption of alcohol and a fifth suspect, Paul A. Sisco, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. At about 2:30 a.m., officers were called to a third-floor apartment at 837 Harlem Ave. where they reportedly found a boisterous group congregating around a keg of beer on the porch. Three of the suspected minors are residents of Forest Park, according to the report, and the fourth is a resident of Chicago.
Steven Golden, Daniel Robins and Joel Robins all live in the village. Joseph Bronz is a Chicago resident.
Sisco, the one held responsible for supplying the alcohol, is also a resident of Chicago, according to the department report.
Residents who live near the address frequently call police to complain of loud noise, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, according to the report. All of the individuals arrested are scheduled to appear in court on June 12.
Motorist charged with possession
A 20-year-old Forest Park resident was caught with some 15 grams of marijuana after police became suspicious of the suspect during a routine traffic stop.
According to a department report, Seth Staerkel was speeding in the area of Madison Street and Marengo Avenue on April 22 when he was pulled over. Staerkel was reportedly behaving in a very nervous manner and police asked to search the vehicle. Twice the suspect said there was nothing illegal in the car, according to police, before alerting the officer to a bag of marijuana in the center console. Alongside the drugs was a glass pipe, according to a department report.
Staerkel’s 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier was towed and the suspect was brought to the department headquarters. According to police, Staerkel confessed to buying the marijuana for $150.
Two passengers in the vehicle were released without charge.
Turn it down
A half dozen motorists were cited last week for playing their car stereos at an excessively loud volume, which violates a local ordinance.
Between April 16 and April 21, Forest Park police wrote at least six tickets ordering the accused to appear at a hearing to be held in the basement of village hall. None of the offenders were residents of Forest Park, according to incident reports released by the department, and all but one were men. All the alleged violations occurred in the afternoon or early evening hours.
According to a municipal ordinance, it is unlawful for motorists to play their music so it is audible at a distance of 50 feet from the vehicle.
Bubbly for the birthday
A 20-year-old man on his way to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday was late for the party when police arrested him on a handful of charges.
Marunas Raizys, of Darien, was arrested April 22 on the 7200 block of Fillmore St. for driving on a suspended license, avoiding a traffic control device, unlawful possession of alcohol and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to a police report, Raizys had three bottles of champagne in his 1999 Audi when he was stopped for a traffic violation. The alcohol was purchased by a friend, Raizys allegedly said, and was a gift for his girlfriend. A subsequent search of the car turned up a crack pipe.
A records search also found Raizys was wanted on a felony theft warrant out of DuPage County.
Department’s monthly report
Among the more than 1,700 calls fielded by the Forest Park Police Department in the month of March, Chief James Ryan pointed to an alleged triple stabbing, a rape at gunpoint and several aggravated battery investigations as the major incidents of the month.
Ryan’s assessment of the department’s activity, along with a detailed breakdown of the calls received, is part of a monthly report delivered to the village council. The March report was prepared in time for the council’s April 23 meeting.
Fourteen felony arrests were made in Forest Park last month, along with 41 arrests on misdemeanor charges. The department also responded to 65 traffic accidents, bringing the 2007 total to 205 accidents.
Among those statistics used by the state to determine the village’s crime index, theft reports far outpaced other categories with 43 reports of theft in the month of March. During that month 23 arrests were made. In 2007, 107 alleged thefts have been reported in Forest Park and 43 suspects have been charged.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between April 14 and April 22, 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
