Clerk caught under-ringing
A store security employee at Bed, Bath and Beyond, 215 Harlem Ave., called police around 7:40 p.m. Oct. 23 after observing a 57-year-old employee ringing up items in the store for one-tenth of their sale price for an acquaintance. Thomas Hampton, 52, of Forest Park allegedly rang a Nutribullet food processor and a 16-piece knife set, both with retail values of $199.99 for $19.99 for his friend, who then exited the store. After being taken into custody and brought to the station, Hampton told police he under-rang the items with a plan that his acquaintance would “pay him some money.” Hampton told police he was trying to support his heroin addiction. He was charged with felony retail theft over $300 and held for bond hearings.
Coke arrest
A sharp-eyed bouncer at Slainte, 7505 Madison St., observed a customer in the men’s room stuffing a baggie filled with white powder into his pocket around 1:20 a.m. Oct. 24. When police arrived, the 25-year-old Chicago man was sidling out the front door, but he was stopped by cops who recovered a digital scale and a powder-filled baggie from his pocket. When advised he was under arrest, the man fled on foot, with officers giving chase to the 400 block alley between Ferdinand and Beloit Streets. Police took him into custody and dug up four more plastic baggies from his sock. The total amount of recovered cocaine was 7.2 grams. The arrested man told police he had just bought the coke from another customer and was in the bathroom stall snorting the drugs when cops arrived. He was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and resisting arrest.
Overdose averted
Police were summoned to respond to an overdose in the parking lot of Taco Bell, 7510 Roosevelt Road around 8:47 a.m. Oct. 24. Inside a parked 2003 Mazda, they found a 20-year-old man from Naperville who told them his companion had passed out after shooting heroin. Police found the second passenger unconscious but breathing in the car. They also recovered several syringes and a bag containing nine ziplock bags with a white powdery substance that looked like heroin. More baggies were found in a child’s size shopping cart outside Ultra Foods. Emergency personnel took the victim to a local hospital. The Naperville man was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Because he had also, allegedly, left drugs in the mini shopping cart within easy reach of a child, he was also charged with reckless conduct.
Red Bull stuffing
A clerk at CVS, 7216 Circle Ave. told police she observed a man allegedly stuffing cans of Red Bull beverage down his pants and into his sleeves around 9:30 a.m. Oct. 24. When the fellow left the store without paying, police observed someone matching his description walking quickly in the parking lot toward Harlem Avenue. The man threw his jacket to the ground and ran into Harlem Avenue traffic, crossing the street. Officers stopped him a few blocks away. He was found to have five cans in his pants pockets and 12 in his jacket. Because of prior felony theft convictions, Dvorak Worthy, 47, of Chicago was charged with felony retail theft.
Teens getting high
Neighbors in the 600 block of Hannah called the cops after they saw, and smelled, three young men in a 2003 Toyota Prius allegedly smoking cannabis around 8:40 p.m. Oct. 24. Police arrived on the scene and smelled a strong odor of burning pot. They recovered a grinding machine, a multi-colored glass pipe, a glass bong and one joint from the group. Arrested were an 18-year old Forest Park male, as well as two juvenile companions ages 17 and 15. The 15-year-old was charged with “intoxication of cannabis.” The other two were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and cannabis under 30 grams. They were issued local ordinance tickets and turned over to parents.
Thefts: bike, package
A secured black and grey mountain bike worth $300 was removed from the Blue Line CTA terminal bike racks between 3:30 p.m. Oct. 24 and midnight Oct. 25.
A woman told police she left her unlocked bike at the rear of O’Sullivan’s Public House, 7244 Madison Street around 2:30 p.m. and entered the bar, where she stayed for an hour. When she came back out, the bike was missing, she said. The estimated value of the tan Schwinn with “beach style handlebars” was $100.
A package shipped from Walmart containing 10 jogging suits, valued at $185.19 disappeared from the vestibule of a building in the 300 block of Desplaines Avenue, between 1:30 p.m. and the evening of Oct. 16, the disappointed recipient told police. She was left with nothing but a tracking number.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Oct.18-24, 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
