After stopping a Chicago man for a traffic violation at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Fillmore Street, the responding officer learned that the driver’s license was suspended and that a passenger in the car had an open bottle of beer.
Elenzia Booker, 24, was ordered out of the vehicle and placed into custody after an officer checked his license and learned that it was suspended. According to the police, Booker, who is reportedly from Chicago, last had a valid license from Georgia.
Passenger Dnario Jones, 25, of Chicago, had an open bottle of Ice House beer, although he was only cited for transportation of an alcoholic beverage. Booker was brought to headquarters where he was charged with driving with a suspended license, operating an uninsured vehicle and having expired registration.
Alleged thief insists he’s from Nigeria
Danta Curry, 21, of Chicago was arrested after he allegedly tried to steal a variety of items from the local Walmart on the night of May 26.
Police reported that Curry went into the 1300 Desplaines Ave. store and placed candy, a clock, underwear, pants, towels, a cutting board, multiple cans of air freshener into Walmart bags in an attempt to leave without paying for the merchandise.
He was caught by store security and detained until police arrived. When the responding officers arrived, Curry gave them a false name and claimed he was from Nigeria, even though he had given the officers his state ID that disclosed his real identity.
Curry refused to acknowledge his name until he was in the backseat of a squad car en route to the police station. Upon arrival at headquarters, he was charged with retail theft and obstruction of justice.
Irate man continues to trespass on CTA property
Randy Soward, 53, of Chicago was arrested for trespassing on CTA property for the second time in as many days, early May 23.
A CTA employee stationed at the Desplaines Avenue Blue Line stop called police to report Soward’s rowdy behavior and inform authorities that Soward refused to leave the premises. The suspect was also removed from the property on May 21 for the same offense.
The employee told police on May 23 that Soward was found sleeping in a train car when the el came to a halt at Desplaines. He was asked to leave the car, and when he did he plopped on a bench and refused to exit the premises until police arrived.
Soward was reportedly irate with both the CTA employee and the arresting officers who transported him to headquarters. Once there, Soward was charged, again, with criminal trespassing, as well as aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
Felony for driving with revoked license
Ivan Muñoz Santiago, 27 and from Elgin, was arrested and charged with a felony on the night of May 24 after police learned that he was driving on a revoked license.
Santiago was initially stopped on the 1200 block of Harlem Avenue after the reporting officer spotted him driving without his seatbelt fastened. But, when the officer asked Santiago for a license and the driver responded that he did not have one, a computer check of his name revealed it was revoked.
Santiago was taken into custody and slapped with aggravated driving with a revoked license, a felony, subsequent to approval from Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Eric Bashirian.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between May 23 and May 27, 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 Nick Moroni
