A woman was struck in the face by an unknown attacker who beat her with a wooden stick in an attempt to steal her purse, according to police.
Shortly before midnight on July 14, the woman was waiting for a friend outside of 316 Marengo Ave. when the assailant approached and demanded her purse. According to a department report, the man produced a small board roughly 13 inches long and a half-inch thick, smacked the woman across the side of her face and continued to try and grab her purse. The alleged victim told police she curled up in a ball to protect herself, all the while holding onto her bag.
The suspect fled the scene and police recovered the board allegedly used to beat the woman. Authorities declined to release the woman’s name. She was treated for a “severe laceration” above her left eye at a nearby hospital, according to the report.
The unknown assailant is wanted on aggravated battery charges and attempted purse-snatching.
Suspect threatens beating
A Chicago resident facing charges for driving under the influence apparently became irate with the officer who arrested him, shouting repeatedly that he and another member of his family would track the officer down to deliver a beating.
Robert M. Stewart, 46, was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. on July 13 after passing motorists signaled to a patrolling officer that Stewart was causing problems along the 7600 block of Roosevelt Road. According to a department report, Stewart was found with an open bottle of Rolling Rock beer in the console of his Dodge pickup truck.
Police took the suspect into custody without conducting field sobriety tests, fearful that the staggering man might injure himself standing on the side of the road, according to the report. Enroute to the station, Stewart wept openly, but adopted a much more aggressive demeanor at the station.
“It’s gonna be bad for you when I get out of here,” Stewart allegedly said. The man also claimed his daughter would assist him in “beat[ing] the cat piss” out of the arresting officer, according to the report.
Stewart refused all sobriety tests and was charged with two felony counts of aggravated DUI for driving without a valid license or valid insurance.
Residents spot alleged user
Neighbors along the 600 block of Hannah Avenue grew suspicious of a late-model Ford F-350 parked along the roadway after the driver repeatedly started and stopped the engine without moving from his spot.
According to a police report, Kurt T. Schmidt, 39, of Morton Grove, was slumped over in the driver’s seat when authorities arrived to investigate shortly before 10 p.m. on July 9. Schmidt claimed he had pulled over to rest and fell asleep with the engine running.
The suspect, now standing outside of the vehicle, reportedly gave the officer permission to look inside the truck for his wallet and identification. Perched on the center console were a crack pipe and a small quantity of cocaine, according to police.
Schmidt was charged with a single count of felony drug possession and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
Cab driver’s revenge
A Forest Park woman was cited for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after allegedly refusing to pay for a $5 cab ride during the early morning hours of July 15.
Donna J. Engel, 52, reportedly called for a cab to take her home from the Blueberry Hill Tavern in the 400 block of Desplaines Avenue, but attempted to duck the charge once she arrived home. According to a police report, the cab driver realized he had received only $1 from Engel and quickly locked the doors to prevent her from fleeing. While taking his irate passenger back to the tavern where he picked her up, Engel punched him in the back of the head several times, according to the report.
The cab driver declined to press charges against the woman and the officer who issued the citations gave her a ride home.
Motorists cited for noise
Three motorists were cited for violating the village’s noise ordinance when police allegedly discovered their car stereos were audible from more than 50 feet away. All three suspects are residents of neighboring communities and were stopped by police at various times of the day.
Timothy Binion, 34, received a citation at 7:30 p.m. on July 9. Lenell Keyes, age unknown, was ticketed shortly before 10 a.m. on July 15, and Anthony Kent, 25, was issued a violation at 11:30 p.m., also on July 15.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between July 9 and July 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
