Lightpole crash saves driver from overdose
Forest Park police arrived at Roosevelt Road and Hannah Avenue on Jan. 10 around 9 p.m. to find a damaged light pole and a 2000 white Toyota Camry, pulled to the curb with a dented front end, a flat passenger-side tire and an unconscious 25-year-old St. Charles man slumped over the steering wheel.
Officers checked the man for signs of life, found a pulse but also noticed the driver gasping for breath. His eyes were rolled back in his head and a hypodermic needle was visible in the car. Police and paramedics gave him three doses of Narcan, a spray that can reverse overdoses and block the effects of opiates. Onopa eventually regained consciousness and was transported to Oak Park Hospital. His car was towed.
One witness described driving westbound on Roosevelt Road behind a vehicle and seeing it swerve right and collide with the light pole.
Officers cited the driver for driving without a license, improper lane usage, failure to provide proof of insurance and damage to a street light pole. His court date is set for Feb. 28 in Maywood.
Aggravated robbery
On Jan. 14 just after 8 p.m., a man, dressed in all black and wearing a mask, entered the 7-11 at 7749 Roosevelt Road and demanded money from the store clerk, saying “give me the money, I have a gun.” The clerk gave the man $150. The burglar then fled west through the parking lot. He was not found after a search by officers.
Residential burglary
A 56-year-old resident of the 300 block of Circle Avenue reported a break-in on Jan. 12. The burglary happened sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The man’s 48-inch television, valued at approximately $1,100, was taken, but no signs of forced entry were found. No arrest has been made.
Walmart theft
A woman was arrested for reportedly trying to steal roughly $87 worth of clothing and “valentine” merchandise on Jan. 10 from Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave. She was stopped soon after allegedly trying to leave without paying by store security. The 45-year-old Berwyn woman has no previous theft-related arrests and was given a local ordinance citation and a March 1 court date.
CVS retail theft
Forest Park police arrested a 42-year-old Bartlett woman for retail theft after she reportedly tried to take about $230 of medication from CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., without paying on Jan. 12 around 2:45 p.m. A CVS employee saw her put the merchandise in her coat and a Whole Foods bag before exiting the store and walking north toward a nearby Starbucks, 7201 Lake St. in River Forest, where she was caught by officers. Her court date is set for Feb. 7.
DUI
A 20-year-old Berwyn man has been charged with driving under the influence, speeding and failure to provide a change of address notice to state authorities. Forest Park police report he was driving his 2013 gray Acura 80 miles per hour southbound on Harlem Avenue on Jan. 11 around 4 p.m. When stopped at Harlem Avenue and Roosevelt Road, the driver reportedly opened the driver-side door and hung out the window, “as if he were about to regurgitate” and pulled him over soon after.
Given the high winds and low temperatures, police decided to conduct the field sobriety test at department headquarters but officers did notice the driver’s bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and alcoholic smell soon after curbing his car. The man vomited twice while at headquarters and a breathalyzer test reported his blood alcohol level to be .147, almost twice the .08 legal limit. He was given a Feb. 21 court date and released.
Multiple noise complaints
Forest Park police cited a 36-year-old woman twice for excessive noise coming from her apartment on the 7400 block of Washington Street. The two separate incidents occurred within a few days of each other on Jan. 9 and Jan. 14. In the first, officers responded around 1 a.m. but the woman refused to open her door. She did, however, turn down the music. Police left a ticket and a March 1 court date notice on her door and told her — through the closed door — to find an “alternative method” for listening to music.
In the second instance, officers responded around 3 a.m. to more complaints of loud music and a woman, who identified herself as the woman’s daughter, opened the door. The mother would not come to the door but shouted to officers that the music would be turned down. A second ticket and a second March 1 court date was given.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 9-15, 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 Thomas Vogel
