DUI driver stopped after topping 90 mph on the Ike

A 24-year-old Darien man was charged following a traffic stop at 2:15 a.m., March 27, for driving under the influence of alcohol and other charges after being stopped in the 600 block of Harlem Avenue. An officer on patrol reported a vehicle speeding, which was recorded on radar as traveling 47 mph in a 30-mph zone. Police said the driver also abruptly changed lanes without signaling and entered Interstate 290 where speed increased to 93 mph in a 55-mph zone. The vehicle was stopped near the Ninth Avenue bridge. Police said the man failed field sobriety testing and refused a breath test at the station. The driver was additionally charged with traffic violations, no proof of insurance and failure to notify the Secretary of State of a change of address. 

 Marijuana scent detected at village hall

A 24-year-old Berwyn man was cited after a traffic stop at 1:03 p.m., March 21 at Hannah Avenue and Harrison Street for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana. Police were alerted to the strong odor of marijuana in the village lobby. An officer reported smelling the odor from four men paying an administrative hold fee. The men left the building and got in a vehicle, which police stopped soon after leaving the lot. Police could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle and one of the vehicle’s rear passengers admitted to having a marijuana cigarette, which was turned over to police and the man was cited for possession.

 Mistaken identity leads to possession charges

Police were called at 2 a.m., March 27, to the 200 block of Desplaines Avenue after a woman walking her dog reported seeing a man she believed was wanted for murder in Louisiana. The woman told police she believed this because she had seen a picture of the man wanted for murder on the television show, The First 48. Police made contact with the man the woman identified. During a pat down of the man, a 42-year-old Chicago resident, police located a mason jar containing 29 grams of marijuana. Police were able to confirm the man was not wanted on any warrants, but he was taken into custody for possession of marijuana. Police said the man told them he was celebrating the holiday weekend at a bar in Forest Park and the marijuana was for personal consumption. He was issued a misdemeanor citation for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana. 

 Attempted fraud

A Forest Park resident contacted police at 4:30 p.m., March 21 and told an officer about a suspicious circumstance while she was trying to sell a pair of shoes online for $50. The resident told police that a buyer contacted her and she received a money order in the mail in the amount of $900. She was told to deposit the whole money order, keep $50 for the shoes and return the rest in cash to an unknown person who would stop by her home. The resident turned the check over to police who contacted the buyer and added an extra patrol to watch the woman’s house. 

 Unlawful use of handicap placard

Police charged a 49-year-old Chicago woman, at 3:12 p.m., March 22, with the unlawful use of a handicap placard in the 1300 block of Desplaines Avenue. An officer on patrol reported that he saw a vehicle in a handicap parking space with a placard in the window when a woman approached carrying numerous bags of goods purchased at Walmart, including a large bag of dog food. The woman told police the card was for her son, whom she was going to pick up later. Police checked the placard and learned it had been confiscated by the Chicago Police Department but was given back to her. Forest Park police confiscated the placard to be mailed back to the secretary of state and issued her a citation for using the placard while the placard’s owner was not with her. 

 Keep an eye on those cellphones

A cellular phone was reported stolen at 11:39 p.m. March 22 at Thornton’s gas station, 601 Harlem Ave. The phone’s owner put the phone down near the register while he looked at cellular accessories and when he returned, it was missing. Police were able to see via video surveillance that another customer took the phone while paying at the register. The phone and case were estimated at $600 to $700 in value.

 These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, March 21-27, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

—Compiled by Matthew Hendrickson