Police were called to the scene of an early morning accident Dec. 7 in which witnesses said they last saw the vehicle “airborne” after smashing through a guardrail near the Eisenhower Expressway.
Authorities arrived at the 600 block of Beloit shortly before 3 a.m. to find the heavily damaged guardrail, but not the gray SUV described by the caller. Tire tracks were discovered in the snow along the embankment of the interstate indicating the driver maneuvered the car into the westbound lanes. Police also found pieces of a damaged vehicle scattered in the area, including a front headlight, and a bumper with the license plate still attached.
Using the registration information, authorities traced the vehicle back to its owner, who lives in Oak Park, according to a department report. Police went to the home and asked a man there if he had been driving the car. The man said no, but his son, 21-year-old Colin Hall, had borrowed the car.
Police found Hall “passed out” in a bedroom, woke him, and asked whether he had been involved in an accident. Hall allegedly denied having any part of it, but then allegedly admitted in front of his father that he did crash the car. Police reported a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and that he appeared to be intoxicated.
Hall was taken into custody for leaving the scene of an accident, and to allow police to investigate whether he had been driving under the influence. Police also reported finding a heavily damaged gray SUV in the garage. The car was missing its front bumper.
While in custody at the police station, authorities described Hall as “combative.” A breath test for the presence of alcohol allegedly revealed a blood-alcohol level of .184. The legal limit in Illinois is .08. Hall received six citations related to the accident, including driving under the influence, leaving the scene of accident, damaging public property and driving with an expired license.
Apartment burglarized
An apartment in the 7200 block of Randolph was burglarized Dec. 4, according to a police report, and the culprit allegedly made off with a laptop computer.
The break-in was discovered after 4 p.m. when the resident returned home, but it was unclear exactly when the apartment may have been burgled. The front door to the home had been forced open, according to police, and the dead bolt smashed through the frame. Wood splinters were found just inside the apartment.
Reported missing were a laptop valued at $1,500, an MP3 player and several pieces of costume jewelry.
Police learned that while the resident was away, she received two phone calls from the entrance system in the lobby of the building. Both of those calls came within 10 minutes of one another between noon and 12:30 p.m. Authorities noted that the locked lobby “can be easily defeated,” but did not conclude in their report that burglary occurred as a result.
Teen charged with felony theft
A Chicago resident was arrested on a felony theft charge Dec. 3 after he allegedly tried to steal more than $500 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart, at the corner of Roosevelt and Desplaines.
According to a department report, 18-year-old Dwayne Parks was pushing a shopping cart toward the store exit when an employee asked for his receipt. Parks allegedly told the employee that the woman he was with was carrying the receipt, but then both Parks and the woman bolted for the parking lot. Security managed to catch Parks, but the woman escaped, according to the police report.
Under police questioning, Parks allegedly said he did not know the items in the cart had not been purchased. He told authorities he was simply pushing the cart for the woman, whom he identified only as Tanya. In their report, authorities did not describe the items that were allegedly stolen, but reported their value as more than $525.
Profane outburst prompts charges
A Westmont man with whom police have reportedly had numerous run-ins was arrested on disorderly conduct and aggravated assault charges Dec. 3
According to a department report, a bus driver asked police to remove William Higbee, 59, from the vehicle shortly after 5 p.m. Police were on their way to the intersection of Madison and Thomas when another call informed them that Higbee had exited the bus. However, an officer spotted Higbee, who was stumbling and yelling profanities at passersby.
The officer ordered Higbee to move along, but Higbee allegedly refused, according to the report. Once in a holding cell, Higbee allegedly threatened to slit the officer’s throat and shoot him in the head.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 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
