Driver crashes, locks himself in the bar
Police were summoned to Goldy Burgers, 7316 Circle Ave., around 4:50 a.m., Dec. 13, after witnesses said a black 1999 Dodge Dakota pickup truck crashed into a fire hydrant and pole, and the driver was allegedly trying to leave the scene. Three men were observed walking away from the accident and heading eastbound toward Harlem.
Police saw three men fitting the description open the door of Circle Inn, 7300 Circle Ave. and enter the tavern, which was closed for the night. Police said the men initially refused to open the locked door, but when reinforcements arrived, an Elmhurst man, 27, opened the door and stated he was alone. Two other men eventually emerged from a back room. They told police they had come to visit the first man because he “lived upstairs.” The officers noted the Elmhurst man emitted a strong odor of alcohol. He reportedly told officers he owned a black truck but had not been driving it that night.
An assisting officer pointed out a black truck parked across the street that had heavy front-end damage and a flat right tire, consistent with an accident. The right front end of the Dakota also had orange “paint transfer” from the fire hydrant. Police recovered some vehicle parts from the scene that matched damage to the Dodge. The truck was found registered to the barkeeper. From a 25-year-old Forest Park man, police recovered a bag of a green leafy substance that later tested positive for cannabis. He was issued a local ordinance citation. The Elmhurst man was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident to the police. He was also charged with six other Illinois Vehicle Code violations. The man paid his bond and was issued a February court date at the Maywood courthouse. The Dodge was found to be on the Forest Park “boot list” because of unpaid parking fines and tickets. It was towed and impounded.
Vehicle tampering at PMSA
Police said someone broke into two Proviso Township High School District 209 vehicles sometime between Dec. 7 and 9 and attempted to strip the ignition systems from them to start them. Damage was not calculated on the 2005 Ford F-150 XLT pickup and another, unspecified vehicle.
Lost dog claimed by dad
A 70-year-old Forest Park man came to the police station to claim his son’s boxer, which was found running at-large near Elgin and Lexington, the morning of Dec. 9. Forest Park police had transported the boxer to the Animal Care League in Oak Park. A local ordinance ticket was issued for a loose dog.
At McDonald’s on revoked license
A police officer recognized a 63-year-old Forest Park man, who had a revoked license for DUI, driving a 2014 Jeep Cherokee around 2:30 a.m., Dec. 10, near McDonald’s at 420 Desplaines Ave. The officer stopped the driver in the McDonald’s parking lot and the driver said he had to drive that day. He asked the officer to let his wife pick up the vehicle. He was transported to the station where the Assistant State’s Attorney approved a charge of felony aggravated driving while license revoked.
Christmas deliveries pilfered
A resident of the 1100 block of Marengo Avenue said someone removed a package from his front porch during the afternoon, Dec. 10, and opened it, discarding the packaging on the sidewalk. Two Lego sets worth $60 were missing.
Forest Park police assisted River Forest police in the arrest of two 17-year-old juveniles who allegedly removed packages from porches near Monroe Avenue and Madison Street around 2 p.m., Dec. 11. Forest Park officers saw two teenage boys, whose clothing matched the description, walking quickly and panting near the Altenheim residence, 7820 Madison St. Police recovered a box containing unknown mechanical parts with a River Forest address from one juvenile. The owner of the box identified the parts. The two juveniles were charged with one count each of theft and petitioned to juvenile court.
Just go home
Police in the parking lot of McDonald’s, around 11 a.m., Dec. 13, said an allegedly intoxicated juvenile, 17, who had been involved in a car accident earlier in Cicero, was screaming at his mother in her 2001 Ford Taurus because she would not let him drive. The mother refused to exit the car and the son stood in front of the vehicle not allowing her to pass. The mother told police the son lived less than a block away, and she was just telling him to go home. Police also told him to go home. This time he agreed. However, when he saw his mother driving the Ford in the 7500 block of Madison Street, he ran across the street, forcing other vehicles to swerve into oncoming traffic. He fell on the sidewalk twice into the snow, police said. He was issued two local ordinance citations for obstructing traffic and resisting arrest. The juvenile’s father picked him up from the station.
Catalytic converter theft
A catalytic converter was removed using a cutting tool from a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta parked during the day, Dec. 10, in the CTA north lot near the Blue Line terminal.
Mustang vs. house
Forest Park police were summoned to the 1000 block of Harlem around 10:20 a.m. after witnesses said a red Mustang was sticking out of the northeast corner of a house having impacted the structure with “significant force.” Police said the car left the roadway and travelled 114 feet before hitting the house, rotating clockwise as it slid across snow in the parkway and front yards of three houses north of the impact point. The Mustang took off part of a decorative fence and demolished a bush.
The 29-year-old driver from Berwyn said he didn’t need medical attention. He told police he was coming home after staying the night at a cousin’s home and told police he lost control of the car because it was “very powerful.” He reportedly had difficulty speaking and keeping his balance. The driver denied he had been drinking, but said he was “shaken up.”
An employee of the car wash north of the accident said he had seen the Mustang traveling southbound at a very high rate of speed and then heard a crash.
Police had to force entry into the house to turn off the water, as the vehicle broke a water main. A neighbor came out of his house and said he saw the driver come out of his car and hide a “baggie” in the snow. Police recovered a clear plastic bag containing several pills or “bars,” identified as Alprazolam or Xanax.
The driver was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital where he was charged with one count of driving under the influence of drugs and several traffic violations.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 7-14, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in the report has only been charged with a crime.
—Compiled by Jean Lotus
