A man charged with driving 62 mph in a 30 mph zone pleaded with authorities not to arrest him after they became suspicious that he was intoxicated, claiming that he is “a working man” grieving the death of his aunt.
According to a department report, police spotted Roberto Lopez Jr., 39, of Cicero, traveling at more than twice the posted speed limit along Harlem Avenue during the early morning hours of March 14. Once stopped, Lopez allegedly fumbled with his checkbook before handing over a driver’s license that was in two pieces. After detecting alcohol on the man’s breath, police asked Lopez to step out of the car and questioned whether he had consumed any alcohol. Lopez allegedly admitted to having three drinks, and a search of his car revealed two empty beer bottles.
“I’m going home from my aunt’s funeral, please don’t do this to me,” Lopez allegedly said. “I’m a working man, I’m a good man.”
At the station Lopez refused a Breathalyzer and was placed in a holding cell where he fell asleep on a bench. After 10 minutes he fell off the bench onto the floor where he remained asleep for another 20 minutes, according to police. Lopez then woke himself up and urinated on the cell floor.
He was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane usage, speeding, having a defective windshield and other traffic related offenses.
Urinating in the doorway
A 25-year-old Lake Bluff man was cited for violating a local ordinance over the holiday weekend when police allegedly discovered him urinating in the doorway of a Madison Street business shortly before 2 a.m.
According to a department report, authorities watched as Matthew J. Dieschbourg leaned into the entryway of a medical office at 7435 Madison St. during the early morning hours of March 15 to relieve himself while a friend served as a lookout. His pants were unzipped and authorities confirmed their suspicions when they spotted urine flowing down the sidewalk.
Heroin suspect arrested on warrant
Police were waiting by a bathroom stall at a popular hot dog restaurant for a man suspected of using drugs at the establishment, and ended up taking the suspect into custody on a warrant out of Florida, according to a department report.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on March 11, authorities were called to Portillo’s Restaurant on Roosevelt Road where witnesses there suspected Leo C. Behrens, 27, was getting high. When Behrens, a North Riverside resident, exited the stall he allegedly confessed to police that he had ingested heroin in the restaurant bathroom and further identified himself as a fugitive.
Teen pondered leading a chase
A Chicago teenager stopped for running a red light on Roosevelt Road told the officer he ran the light because he was contemplating trying to outrun the police, but then thought better of it, according to a department report.
Eduardo Munoz, 18, was taken into custody the morning of March 13 after police discovered Munoz did not have a valid driver’s license and had only been issued an instructional permit by the state. A records check revealed Munoz was wanted by authorities in Berwyn in connection to a criminal sexual abuse case.
Munoz is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.
Morning stop yields cocaine charge
A 42-year-old Brookfield man is facing a felony drug possession charge after a traffic stop turned up a “small portion” of cocaine, according to a police report.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m. on March 15, authorities stopped a white pickup truck in the 800 block of Circle Avenue for being on the road without a registration plate affixed to the front. Chris D. Craigmiles, a passenger in the truck, was seen leaning forward to place something under the seat, according to police.
Underneath the passenger seat, police allegedly found a small quantity of cocaine in a plastic bag. Craigmiles was given a court date of April 8. The driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old Chicago woman, was released without charges.
Federal suspect turns himself in
An officer was walking to his squad car behind the police station March 16 when he was approached by a man allegedly wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Vernon C. Cole, 33, told the officer that there was a federal warrant for his arrest and he wanted to clear up the matter so that he could keep his job.
According to a department report, Cole was placed in an area “halfway house” after being released by the federal agency and has since landed a full-time job and a place to live for both he and his wife. Cole told police that he quarreled with his wife on March 13 and then left, which made him unavailable to take an expected phone call from the Marshals Service. Local police confirmed the federal warrant and were expecting authorities to extradite Cole on March 17.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between March 10 and March 16, 2008, 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
