A woman who had just withdrawn a large amount of cash from a gas station ATM was allegedly robbed at gun point in her home, possibly by a man who may have followed her from the gas station.
According to a department report, the woman was walking from the gas station at 7321 Randolph on the morning of Feb. 17 when she noticed a man walking in the opposite direction. She described his demeanor as being overly friendly, which made her suspicious. Just as the woman arrived at her Bergman Court apartment, she was grabbed from behind and ordered to get on the ground, she told police. The suspect said he had a gun and ordered the woman not to look at him. It was unclear from the report whether a weapon was actually used.
The man, who reeked of “reefer and alcohol,” according to the woman, took $500 in cash, along with a cashier’s check in the amount of $865. A payee had not yet been designated as the recipient of that check, she told police.
While an officer interviewed the distraught woman about the incident, another investigator spoke with a clerk at the gas station and was able to confirm that she had used the automated teller machine. However, the woman was the only person inside the store at the time, according to the clerk.
No suspects had been taken into custody at the time of the report.
Could smell it coming
Even as the Buick sedan drove by, the smell of marijuana was unmistakable, an officer said in their report of an arrest made shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 19.
While patrolling the 700 block of Harlem, a gray Buick headed north was emitting the distinct scent and the officer checked the car’s registration with the department’s database. The owner of the car had a suspended registration due to an insurance violation, according to police. The car was stopped on the eastbound entrance ramp for the Eisenhower Expressway.
The driver of the car, 40-year-old Lawrence Peters, of Calumet City, was reportedly unable to provide a driver’s license and acknowledged having several marijuana cigarettes. Peters was taken into custody and police learned that his license was in fact suspended. Further, Peters was wanted on a warrant out of Chicago.
A search of the car turned up 26 grams of marijuana, according to police.
Big numbers, big ticket
A truck driver for United Scrap Metal, located in Cicero, was issued thousands of dollars in fines for allegedly driving through Forest Park this month with a “plethora of weight violations.”
According to a department report, police stopped 55-year-old Artee Love at about 9:30 a.m. Feb. 18 when the officer noticed the dump truck Love was driving exhibited several signs of being in excess of its legal load. After using a roadside scale to weigh the truck both the officer and Love were somewhat surprised by how heavy the vehicle appeared to be. They agreed to take the truck to Hillside to use a more accurate scale and discovered the load was several hundred pounds heavier, still.
Love was cited for carrying 12,700 pounds more than the truck’s tandem axle was intended to carry. He was also cited for being 11,350 pounds heavier than what the truck is registered to haul. In total, the driver was issued fines in the amount of $7,450.
According to the report, Love said he was hauling debris from an Interstate 88 construction project.
Too many bricks
A driver for a Bensenville company was also cited last week for driving an overloaded truck through Forest Park. Karl Wilke, 70, of Chicago, was carrying a load of bricks for A&A Equipment on Feb. 18 when he was ticketed for being 4,140 pounds beyond his limit. Police issued him a fine for $425.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Feb. 16 and Feb. 22, 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
