Banned, then bloodied at the bar
On Aug. 14 around 1:30 a.m. a Forest Park police officer was walking by Shortstop Lounge on the 7400 block of Madison Street and saw a 30-year-old man leave the bar with blood on his face. The man told the officer he was “jumped” inside the bar and was punched in the head by two 20-something men after being asked to leave the bar by the bartender. The injured man was transported to Rush Oak Park Hospital for treatment.
The officer then talked with a bartender in the bar, who said the man had been previously “banned” for accosting staff with vulgar language. When he returned on Aug. 14, he was reportedly again asked to leave and then became “belligerent.” At that time, several “unknown” bar patrons punched him before leaving, the bartender said.
Burglary from motor vehicle
Someone stole a handicap parking placard and loose change from a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country parked in a municipal lot near Marengo Avenue and Roosevelt Road. The burglary happened sometime between Aug. 11 and 12. The car’s 44-year-old owner did not call police until Aug. 14. Reason for the delay is unclear.
Motor vehicle theft
Forest Park Police arrested two Chicago teenagers, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, on Aug. 15 after the pair reportedly stole a 2005 Buick from Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., around 9 p.m. The keys were reportedly left inside the car at the time of the theft. After a car chase, the Buick was eventually found parked in a lot on the 300 block of Desplaines. The teenagers were stopped by police leaving the scene. Police found the Buick’s keys in the pants pocket of one of the teens.
Police arrested a 20-year-old Maywood man, an 18-year-old man, and another Maywood man after the threesome reportedly stole a 1998 Honda sedan on the morning of Aug. 16 in Bellwood. Police found the men around 6:30 p.m. on the 7300 block of Madison Street after they were allegedly involved in a crash with a Dodge truck. The three were detained by police.
Battery by bike
A 32-year-old woman told police she was walking on the 8200 block of Roosevelt Road on Aug. 17 around 1 p.m. when a 20-something man riding a dirt bike drove past her and “grabbed her butt, gripping it firmly.” The man then fled westbound. No suspect was found by police in a subsequent search of the area.
Residential burglary
A 42-year-old resident of the 1200 block of Elgin told police, Aug. 18, that someone burglarized his apartment sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 17. Missing items reportedly include jewelry and watches worth at least $1,000. The man said he returned from work and found the front door deadbolt not working. He went into the apartment and noticed some luggage had been moved around, which he thought was “strange” but eventually fell asleep. He didn’t realize the jewelry was missing until the following morning. The front door showed no signs of tampering, according to the police report.
Revoked driver’s license
Israel Vences was charged with one count of felony driving without a license and registration after police curbed his 2000 Ford Explorer near Madison Street and 1st Avenue on Aug. 18 around 4 p.m. At the time of the traffic stop, Vences’ license was reportedly suspended for DUI.
Sex offender violation
Police picked up a registered sex offender, a 42-year-old man, on Aug. 19 around 7 p.m. after officers curbed his 2008 black Ford near Harrison Street and Elgin Avenue and charged him with one count of “child sex offender in public park.”
The police stopped the Ford after getting a call from a 27-year-old woman who reportedly saw the 42-year-old man grab “his son off the swing by his neck and [throw] him to the ground.” At the time of the alleged incident, the man was at the Park District of Forest Park, 7501 Harrison St. During the traffic stop, the man denied grabbing the boy by the neck but said he “removed his son from the swing in an effort to discipline him.”
While talking to officers, the man’s wife arrived and also denied any “physical altercation” had happened. The caller said she did not witness the alleged incident herself and was only told about it by someone else. Police, having a “lack of evidence” and no witnesses and no signs of injury were going to release the 42-year-old man. But a name check revealed he was a registered sex offender. The man told police he was “under the impression he was no longer required to register as of May 2017.” The police report said he was mandated to register until 2027.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Aug. 14-20, 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
