Squirrel 1, light pole 0
A 21-year-old North Riverside woman was found by police in a damaged 2006 Ford Focus at 1:36 a.m., Sept. 22, in the 1100 block of Hannah Ave. She said she swerved to avoid hitting a squirrel and smashed into a light pole. Officers noted the “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath” and after she failed field sobriety tests, she was taken to the station. Breathalyzer results showed a .167 blood alcohol content, more than twice the legal limit of .08. She told police she had consumed three drinks containing vodka. She was charged with DUI.
Smuggling Xboxes and other Walmart crimes
A 20-year-old Walmart employee was allegedly observed by a supervisor on surveillance video unlocking a display case and removing six Xbox video game systems, which he then placed in boxes designated for the trash. The Forest Park man reportedly took the boxes to the rear exit of the store, loaded them into his vehicle and drove away. When taken into custody by police, he said he found a key in the stock room that opened the display cases. He took the video game systems and sold them to his friends for $300 each. Jerrmon S. Davis was charged with felony theft.
Around 12:30 p.m., Sept. 25, Walmart store security allegedly observed a 25-year-old Chicago woman removing a pair of slippers from the shelf and slipping past the checkout without paying. When confronted, she reportedly refused to come to the office and hopped into a 2007 Mazda with another woman. Officers curbed the Mazda at Roosevelt and Hannah. Inside the car, they discovered clothing items with Walmart price tags and 65 Balance Financial prepaid MasterCard credit cards, still in the sale packaging, worth $2.95 per card. The two women denied the cards were from Walmart. The woman was issued a local ordinance citation for retail theft and a ticket for no valid driver’s license.
A 54-year-old Hinsdale man, nabbed for allegedly shoplifting at Walmart around 9:30 p.m., Sept. 26, told officers he felt ill, then tried to flee from the emergency room of Loyola University Hospital. He was handcuffed on the ground, with difficulty, examined and released by medical professionals. Walmart security officers said earlier he had wheeled a grocery cart with items picked off the shelves to the customer service desk and “returned” them without a receipt for $50 cash. The security guard told police he didn’t want to press charges because the offender was a veteran, but Forest Park police discovered the man had four active warrants for retail theft and driving with license suspended from Cook and DuPage counties. He was charged with one count of resisting arrest and held for outstanding warrants.
An employee of Ultra Foods, 7520 Roosevelt Road, called police after he observed an unknown man cutting the cable lock on a bicycle that was secured in the bike racks at the store, around 5:50 p.m., Sept. 22. The bike belonged to a fellow employee who said a jacket containing $70 in the pocket was in a blue storage bag fastened to the handlebars. The offender was seen riding off near Roosevelt and Marengo. Police were unable to find him or the purple woman’s Roadmaster 15-speed.
Driving violations
A patrol officer noticed a 27-year-old Chicago man driving a 2014 Mercedes-Benz 350 while chatting on a cellphone in the 1200 block of Harlem Avenue around midnight, Sept. 23. Turns out, he was driving with an expired license. He was issued a local ordinance ticket for unlawful use of an electronic communication device. The Benz was impounded.
Children bouncing around unsecured in the back seat of a 1994 Chrysler Newport around 12:20 a.m. Sept. 24 came to the attention of an officer on patrol, who also discovered the female driver, age 43 from Berwyn, had an expired license. She was issued two local ordinance citations for lack of driver’s license and failing to properly secure a child.
Four-car mashup
A 67-year-old Burlingame, California man was arrested after his 2015 Hyundai Sonata crashed head-on into a parked car and damaged two other vehicles around 11:45 p.m., Sept. 25, in the 7700 block of Adams Street. The driver told police he had just consumed seven and a half glasses of vodka. He failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody. At the police station, he brew a Breathalyzer score of .198, more than twice the legal limit of .08. Upon being placed in the holding cell, he began to cry and then fell asleep but when awakened for fingerprinting soon thereafter, he reportedly physically resisted and tried to kick officers. He was charged with DUI, improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed.
Around 3:15 p.m., Sept. 25, an officer on patrol noted that the license plate of a 1997 Chevy Cavalier was registered to a 49-year-old Forest Park man on parole with a license revoked for drunk driving. The driver appeared to match the description given by the police computer. After he turned down an alley in the 900 block of Ferdinand and parked the Cav behind his residence, he was unable to provide his license or proof of insurance. He was taken into custody and told police he knew he did not have a valid license and that it was a crime to be driving, but he had to drive for work. Police charged him with aggravated driving with license revoked. His wife came to the station and retrieved his property.
Weed for sale
An anonymous caller tipped Forest Park police that two men were allegedly selling marijuana near the CTA Blue Line terminus at 711 Desplaines Avenue around 9:45 a.m., Sept. 25. Officers observed the men, age 19 and 21, who continued to loiter on the bus stop bench while several buses came and went. Officers approached the men, who admitted they had a small amount of “weed.” Recovered were seven small zip-lock bags of cannabis weighing about three grams. The two were issued local ordinance tickets.
Beer bath leads to brawl
Police were summoned to Slainte, 7505 Madison, around 12:20 a.m., Sept. 26, after a fight had erupted between two Berwyn brothers, ages 25 and 32, and a woman at the bar. The woman told police one brother was “hitting on her.” Considering his behavior vulgar and inappropriate, she told police she told him off and he then poured a glass of beer on her. She responded by emptying a pitcher of beer over his head. At that point, a friend intervened, who was allegedly thrown to the ground by the younger brother. As a fight ensued, the two brothers were ejected from the tavern. Witnesses corroborated the story. Police charged the siblings with local ordinance citations for public fighting.
An officer dropped in at Slainte around 11:30 p.m., Sept. 24, and observed a table of patrons who appeared “rather young.” One young lady at the table said her ID must have fallen out of her brassiere because she was unable to produce it. The Bellwood resident gave the officer a date of birth, which came back negative, and she then admitted she was only 20 years old. She was issued a local ordinance citation for underage drinking.
Copper pipe burglary thwarted
An alert neighbor observed an unknown man pushing an empty shopping cart behind a village-owned out-building behind the Altenheim, 7820 Madison St., around 10:45 a.m., Sept. 28, and called police. She then saw him again, and this time the cart was filled with unknown metal objects. The suspect was heading toward Concordia Cemetery and talking as if on a cellphone while objects rattled around in the cart. A silver van arrived and began to drive slowly back and forth on CTA property. Officers arrived and located the 60-year-old Maywood man whose cart was filled with copper pipes. Officers noted a piece of plywood had been pried away from the doorway of the building. They also recovered a claw hammer, screwdriver and crack pipe from the man. Officers in the area found a “pile of metal radiator-looking items under a tree near the cemetery.” The man was charged with criminal trespass to government land, burglary, and possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Sept.16-28, 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
