A handful of young adults suspected of being underage drinkers were issued citations June 23 after police allegedly caught them in the parking lot of a train station on Desplaines Avenue.
According to a department report, the group was spotted at about 2:30 a.m. in a parking lot near 711 Desplaines. As an officer approached, one of the participants, 20-year-old Steven Barrera, of Chicago, grabbed what remained of a case of beer and took off running. Another officer assisting at the scene was able to catch him and bring him back to the parking lot.
Police began asking the group if anyone was of legal drinking age, and whether they had anything with them that might be dangerous or illegal. One woman who was not charged in connection with the incident was of legal drinking age.
John Schnell, 20, was cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Stephani Nuno, 17, was ticketed for possession of drug paraphernalia, and Barrera was cited for obstructing police. Luis Rivera, 19, was ticketed for underage drinking, as were each of the others charged in the incident.
Mom charged with theft
A 24-year-old Chicago woman was arrested for shoplifting $145 worth of clothing, accessories and a water gun from Wal-Mart, according to a department report, and is facing two additional charges of child endangerment for allegedly committing the theft with her children in tow.
LaShaun Parks was taken into custody June 22 at about 7 p.m. after an employee at the Roosevelt Road store told police he watched Parks try to steal the items. While shopping, Parks allegedly pulled the price tags off several items of clothing and then paid for only $50 worth of merchandise. Parks then took the items she had not paid for over to the customer service desk and attempted to return them for cash. After being told she could not return the items without a receipt, Parks allegedly tried to leave the store.
Parks’ two children, ages 3 and 5, were with her for the duration of the alleged theft, according to police. They were taken to the station where family members came to pick them up.
Altercation spoils outing
A tour bus full of baseball fans was returning to Fox Lake June 28 when it made a stop near Circle Lanes in Forest Park to drop off a passenger. Several riders took the opportunity to step off the bus and have a cigarette, but the leisurely day was soured when police were called in to break up a fight.
According to a department report, 23-year-old Michael Ronzio, of McHenry, spent the day antagonizing one of the female passengers. He was removed from the baseball game, according to witness accounts, but the group still had to travel back to Fox Lake together. While stopped in Forest Park, Ronzio allegedly began to berate the woman and threatened to beat her up. She pushed him, causing a scratch on his neck, and when another person stepped in to break up the altercation, Ronzio allegedly punched him in the jaw.
Ronzio was arrested on two counts of battery and one charge of simple assault.
Driver caught with booze
A 26-year-old man from Maywood was taken into custody June 27 on a list of traffic violations after police found him driving with open containers of alcohol and a 16-year-old girl in his car at about 2:30 a.m.
LaMarquis Ceon Banford was stopped on Madison for driving without his headlights on, and police quickly learned that Banford’s license was suspended and the vehicle was uninsured. After placing Banford in the backseat of a squad car, police attempted to speak with a teenage girl riding in the car. She allegedly gave police a fake name and date of birth.
Once at the station, the girl “began acting irrational” and shouted at police. She was placed in a holding cell for juveniles, but punched the glass window of the security door and shattered it, according to police.
The girl was eventually turned over to relatives and told that a juvenile court date for violating curfew and criminal property damage would be mailed to them.
Banford was charged with illegal transportation of alcohol, driving without his lights on, and driving with a suspended license in an uninsured car.
Motorist charged with felony
A Chicago man is facing felony charges for allegedly driving while his license was under suspension for a driving-while-intoxicated conviction.
Johnny Ware, 54, was involved in a traffic accident June 23 at the junction of Ferdinand and Adams, according to police, when authorities learned that his license was not valid. Ware has two prior convictions for driving on a suspended license, according to a department report.
The severity of the accident was not made clear, but Ware was also ticketed for disobeying a stop sign and failing to yield at an intersection.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between June 21 and June 28, 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
