Police help nab burglary suspects
Forest Park officers assisted in the capture of four men who had allegedly taken part in an armed robbery in River Forest around 11:25 p.m., Jan. 11. Dispatchers mentioned a getaway van driving south from Franklin Avenue and Linden Street in River Forest, where two men had just relieved a pedestrian of his wallet and cellphone. A 2002 Dodge matching the dispatcher’s description pulled into view turning northbound at Randolph Street at Desplaines. The van then pulled into Forest Park near Brown Avenue and Rockford. Officers curbed the car and held the four men inside for River Forest police. The victim identified two of the men, and his cellphone. A gun was recovered from beneath the rear passenger seat. Forest Park police transported the two arrested men to the River Forest lockup.
Digital door-knockers picked up
A man wearing a yellow jacket and carrying a clipboard was stopped in the 1200 block of Elgin Avenue after police received complaints that he was soliciting. The 23-year-old Lombard man said he worked for AT&T and was dropped off by his manager to try to sell digital service door-to-door. The man’s supervisor was summoned and said he was unaware they weren’t allowed to solicit in Forest Park. The supervisor was given a local ordinance citation for soliciting.
Pot, THC oil and coke in BMW
An officer noticed the driver of a 2001 BMW not wearing a safety belt about 9:20 p.m., Jan. 12, near Harlem Avenue and Roosevelt Road. When he activated his lights and siren to curb the BMW, the driver sped up, then headed eastbound on I-290. The squad gave chase and the driver finally pulled over near the Ridgeland Avenue bridge. The driver was a Waukegan man, 32, with another male passenger, 29, also from Waukegan. Officers recovered a large pill bottle from the driver’s pocket, and found rocky lumps of a white substance resembling cocaine on the passenger seat. A K-9 dog alerted the officer to 4.9 grams of THC oil hidden in the cars’ center console. The driver told police he didn’t stop because his buddy might have a warrant, and he knew there was pot in the car. He was charged with fleeing a peace officer, possession of pot under 30 grams and not wearing a seatbelt. His passenger was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Vodka heist
Police were summoned to CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., around 11 a.m., Jan. 14, about a man who had allegedly removed bottles of liquor from the shelf. A clerk told police he saw a 57-year-old Chicago man reach over the soda aisle and remove seven bottles of vodka, worth $232.94. He told police he wrapped aluminum foil around a theft sensor and stuffed bottles into a gym bag, leaving the store. The loss-prevention agent at the store held the man for police. Russell Richard was charged with felony theft.
Sleeping off the buzz
Officers patrolling near Harvard Street and Ferdinand Avenue around 4:40 p.m., Jan. 15, noticed a parked 2005 Audi A4 with three sleeping occupants. The car was still running and the 17-year-old driver was asleep holding the wheel. The officer opened the car door and announced his presence, and noticed a strong odor of burned cannabis. The officer reportedly opened the glove compartment and recovered a pouch filled with seven small zip-lock bags containing 7 grams of a green leafy substance that later tested positive for cannabis. Officers arrested the driver and wrote him a local ordinance citation. His mother arrived and took custody of her son. Two drowsy passengers, age 17 and 18, were also charged with pot possession.
Swinging in the street
A 25-year-old Forest Park man was picked up for public intoxication after officers got a call that he was standing in the middle of the street near Beloit Avenue and Madison Street around 2:40 a.m., Jan. 16. The subject was swinging at cars and yelling. When police arrived, the young man went up to a parked taxi cab and tried to open the back door. The police officer drove up and the taxi driver took off, leaving the young man to explain himself. He was deemed too drunk for his own safety and taken to the police station, where he was issued two citations for standing in the road and being intoxicated in public.
Familiar face at the courthouse
While waiting to pick up a burglary offender from the Maybrook courthouse, two Forest Park cops recognized a 29-year-old North Riverside man who had an open warrant in Forest Park for unlawful use of a weapon. The man got into an elevator, and officers located the man on the second floor. He was placed into custody and charged with ignoring a warrant. He posted bond and went on his way.
Pot picked up in pickup
Officers kept an eye on the driver of a red 1996 Ford pickup, parked at Thornton’s gas station around 3:55 p.m. with the occupant not exiting the car. When officers knocked on the window, they were met with the smell of pot. A bag with 8 grams was recovered and the driver, 62, from Chicago was charged with possession of cannabis.
Driver stopped for everyone’s good
Around 3:40 a.m., Jan. 17, an officer noticed a 2013 Chevy traveling southbound on Harlem Avenue straddling the yellow line and driving in both the left and right lanes of traffic. The officer pulled a squad behind the Chevy as the car headed westbound down the ramp onto I-290, almost striking the cement barrier on the ramp. The car then crossed four lines of traffic, almost striking several vehicles. The officer curbed the Chevy on the expressway and noted a strong smell of alcohol from the driver, 34, a LaGrange Park resident. The officer didn’t think it safe to conduct field sobriety tests on the side of the highway, so the driver was transported to the station, where he refused to blow a breathalyzer test. He was charged with improper lane usage, no driver’s license and DUI.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Jan 11-18, 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
Contact:
Email: jlotus@forestparkreview.com
Twitter: @FP_Review
