A man suspected of carrying a gun led police on a brief foot chase into an apartment building on Dunlop Avenue before he was apprehended and found to be carrying marijuana. Bryant C. Crain, 25, of Forest Park, is not facing any weapons-related charges as a result of the incident, but is scheduled to appear in court for possession with intent to distribute.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, dispatchers received a call that a man in blue shorts and a blue shirt was in the area of 1001 Dunlop Ave. carrying a gun, according to a department report. At the junction of Harvard and Dunlop streets, a patrolling officer spotted an individual who fit the description and asked that the man show his hands and approach the officer. Instead, the suspect turned and ran into 947 Dunlop Ave. Police gave chase and allegedly witnessed Crain trying to hide a plastic bag full of marijuana under the carpeting on the stairs. Inside the bag were 12 smaller bags, all containing some quantity of the drug, according to police.

The department report makes no mention of a gun being found. However, a search of the suspect did reveal $130 in cash, which was confiscated.

Just one more drink, officer

After being hauled out of a Madison Street bar for refusing to pay a $6 tab, a 44-year-old Oak Park man allegedly asked police for another drink once he had been placed under arrest and put into a holding cell.

At about 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, Joseph G. Tobin allegedly told a bartender at Slainte on Madison Street to “go [expletive] yourself” when asked to settle his tab. Once police arrived to remove Tobin, he was reportedly slurring his words and sat at the bar with his face on the counter. According to a department report, Tobin refused to go quietly and threw himself to the floor when police attempted to handle him.

In the squad car and at the police station, Tobin allegedly threatened the arresting officers repeatedly with a civil complaint and said, “My lawyer is going to take care of all you guys.” After he was searched and placed in a detention cell, Tobin asked to “have a shot” of liquor, according to police.

He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Dogs off leash, again

A local real estate developer was cited recently for letting his dogs run loose in violation of a village ordinance. On Aug. 15, police issued citations to Robert Marani, 46, after an off-duty police officer reported that Marani’s two dogs were running loose on Monroe Avenue.

The responding officer noted in their report that Marani has previously been cited for the same offense on at least eight other occasions.

“Marani informed me that he did not know the dogs were loose, and they must have let themselves out of his home,” the officer stated in their report. “This excuse is substantially similar to the excuses that Marani has used every time I have [cited] him.”

Suspects charged in heist

Two men are facing felony theft charges for allegedly stealing valuable vases used to decorate gravesites at Woodlawn Cemetery on Roosevelt Road.

According to a police report, the cemetery has been victimized by this ongoing crime for several years, suffering a financial loss in the “tens of thousands” of dollars. On Aug. 13, a general manager for the funeral home and cemetery reportedly witnessed two men removing bronze trinity vases from gravesites.

Acting on the manager’s description of the suspects and their Dodge pickup truck, police arrested 29-year-old Jason Bendoraitis of Chicago and David Espinoza, 26. In the bed of the truck, police allegedly found two of the vases, valued at $241 each, along with a backpack full of tools and two more vases in the cab of the vehicle. Bendoraitis reportedly admitted to stealing the items “because someone stole his mother’s.”

Espinoza denied any involvement and told police he had been visiting his mother’s grave, according to a department report.

Gang member cited for noise

Keith A. Gaddis, 30, of Oak Park, was pulled over at the intersection of Harlem and Washington streets on Aug. 17 for playing his car stereo too loudly, according to police. But a records check revealed Gaddis was driving without a valid license or insurance, and is a member of the Black P Stone gang, according to a department report. After initially accusing the officer of harassment, Gaddis later apologized for his temper and said he had been trying to avoid the police as of late because he does not like law enforcement officers.

He was charged with several traffic violations, including violating a village ordinance that prohibits excessive noise.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Aug 13 and Aug 20, 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