A motorist who was allegedly speeding along Harlem while weaving through traffic is facing a pair of felonies and a handful of lesser charges after police caught him with an open bottle of vodka.
Estanislaw Martinez, 53, of Chicago, was pulled over by a patrolling officer shortly before 2 a.m. on March 23. Martinez caught the attention of police by driving 54 mph in the 30 mph zone, according to a department report. After seeing his four-door Buick nearly collide with an oncoming truck in the southbound lane, Martinez was stopped.
According to a department report, Martinez showed several signs of being intoxicated and wreaked of alcohol. When the man stepped out of his car, he immediately leaned against it to steady his balance, police said in their report.
Claiming he had back problems, Martinez declined to perform any field sobriety tests. He was taken into custody and a search of the car turned up a 200 milliliter bottle of vodka with roughly one-third of the liquor remaining.
Martinez allegedly refused to take a breath exam at the police station, but was charged with driving under the influence, without a valid license or insurance, both of which are felonies. According to state records, police noted in their report, Martinez had never been issued a driver’s license.
Mother, teen cited for shoplifting
A mother-daughter tandem was charged with shoplifting March 28 after security personnel at the Roosevelt Road Kmart allegedly caught them trying sneak perfume, shirts, jewelry and other accessories out of the store.
According to a department report, 39-year-old Margaret Alvarado, of Berwyn, was cited with a local ordinance violation because neither she nor her 15-year-old daughter had any prior convictions for theft. Alvarado had allegedly stuffed $71 worth of merchandise into her purse. Her daughter, meanwhile, had allegedly snagged almost $93 worth.
Man caught with crack cocaine
Two men driving erratically through Forest Park while trying to get onto Interstate 290 were stopped by police March 23 and arrested on drug related charges, according to a police report. One of the suspects, 24-year-old William Stanton from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., later confessed to having bought some of the drugs at a fast-food restaurant in Oak Park.
It was shortly after 12:30 p.m. that Stanton and his passenger, 26-year-old Frank Blumberg, were stopped by police. An officer reported smelling marijuana coming from inside the car and that both men were “noticeably nervous” and couldn’t stop their hands from shaking. When Blumberg was asked to step out of the car, police said his body was trembling.
Initially, no drugs were found on either of the suspects, but when Blumberg was asked to remove his shoes and socks, police reportedly found two grams of marijuana tucked into his sock. Marijuana pipes were then found in the glove box, along with a small quantity of crack cocaine. While at the police station, Stanton allegedly told police they had purchased the crack at Wendy’s, at the corner of Harlem and Madison, for $10.
Blumberg was charged with an ordinance violation for possession of marijuana. Stanton received a felony drug possession charge for the crack cocaine, along with several traffic citations.
Driver charged with possession
A Chicago man was issued a citation for carrying a small quantity of marijuana in his car March 24 after police pulled him over for driving erratically.
According to a department report, 34-year-old Jose Estrada was weaving dangerously along Desplaines Avenue shortly before 1 p.m. After making a sharp right, he was stopped.
Police allegedly smelled marijuana coming from the car when they approached Estrada’s window, and “noticed he was nervous,” avoiding eye contact and keeping his answers short. Estrada was asked to get out of the car and he was patted down, but police found nothing. Authorities then asked if he had anything illegal with him, and Estrada allegedly directed them toward the drugs and a pipe in the car.
Outstanding warrant
A Forest Park resident was arrested on an outstanding warrant issued out of DuPage County for driving on a suspended license. Police took 33-year-old Dennis Rowry into custody March 28 shortly after 1:30 a.m. when a check of his vehicle’s registration revealed the warrant. After confirming that Rowry was the owner, the man was asked to step out of the car. He was immediately taken into custody.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between March 22 and March 29, 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
