A village resident driving a Cadillac Escalade was stopped for failing to use his turn signal shortly after 6 p.m. on Dec. 10, and according to a police report, immediately confessed to having a “good amount of weed” in his SUV.
Wilish N. Baker, 27, got out of his car after being pulled over in the 1000 block of Dunlop Avenue and approached the officer, bringing with him a strong odor of marijuana, according to police. Police searched the car and allegedly found two plastic bags containing 469 grams of the illegal substance.
“I asked Baker why he had such a large amount of cannabis and Baker stated it’s for personal use,” the arresting officer said in a written report. “Baker stated the holidays are coming and he needed to stock up on his supply.”
He was charged with a pair of felonies for unlawful manufacturing of cannabis and unlawful possession.
Suspected heroin dealer nabbed
A suspected drug dealer was arrested Dec. 12 after undercover officers working as part of the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement Taskforce allegedly witnessed a heroin deal just off Madison Street.
According to a department report, officers saw the driver of a brown 1987 Oldsmobile fail to signal a right turn off Madison Street onto Elgin Avenue. A computer check of the vehicle’s license plate revealed the registered owner was wanted on a warrant.
As police watched from across the street, a woman ran up to the car and appeared to shake hands with the driver. The Oldsmobile was then curbed along the 100 block of Harlem Avenue.
James Thornton, 32, of Chicago, was driving the car on a suspended license, according to police. Officers noted several small plastic bags of heroin on the driver’s seat, each labeled with a picture of a naked woman and “Heavy D” written on the bag.
Thornton was charged with possession of a controlled substance and driving with a suspended license. A passenger in the car, 35-year-old Jamal Gray, also of Chicago, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for a parole violation.
The owner of the car, a 22-year-old woman from Chicago, was released without charges, according to a department report, though the same report indicated she too had a warrant out for her arrest.
DUI suspect blows .203
A motorist accused of slamming his 2003 Chevrolet Impala into a guardrail while driving drunk allegedly told police he had consumed only a single glass of wine before the accident. However, a Breathalyzer exam administered after his arrest revealed a blood-alcohol level of .203, according to a police report.
Steven D. Damian, 21, of River Forest, was traveling along Jackson Avenue shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 14 when he failed to negotiate a sharp corner on the 600 block, according to police. A nearby officer witnessed the accident and immediately noted the smell of alcohol after making contact with Damian. He allegedly admitted to having had one glass of wine.
Damian failed three field-sobriety tests and was arrested for driving under the influence, according to police. Once at the station, Damian consented to a breath exam and registered a BAC of more than double the legal limit of .08, police said.
Search reveals drugs
William Pinero insisted he didn’t have any drugs in the car with him when he was pulled over shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 13 and even suggested that an officer search his car, according to a department report. Taking the 21-year-old Forest Park resident up on his offer, authorities allegedly found 18 bags of marijuana with a combined weight of 14 grams hidden behind a panel in the center console.
Pinero was stopped while driving along the 800 block of Dunlop Avenue after he made an abrupt stop in the middle of the street, according to police. After approaching the car, authorities noticed the smell of marijuana, to which Pinero said he had just smoked some at a friend’s house in Maywood. But under questioning from police, Pinero allegedly insisted there were no drugs in the car and told police to search his Chevrolet Cavalier.
Slow and steady
The driver of a stolen 2004 silver Hyundai was able to elude police in a brief 40 mph pursuit that began on Harlem Avenue, progressed to Interstate 290 and then ended as the car slowly ran a red light on Central Avenue, according to a department report.
After activating the cruiser’s siren and emergency lights while tailing the vehicle on I-290, police said the stolen car slowed to 40 mph and signaled for a right turn. The car passed the exit for Austin Boulevard and then took the ramp for Central Avenue and headed south against a traffic light. The officer in pursuit ended the chase and watched as the car drove away “still traveling at a slow rate of speed.”
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Dec. 9 and Dec. 16, 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.
-Josh Adams
