Woman stabbed three times on Prairie Path
As a woman walked on the Prairie Path to Maybrook Courthouse about noon on April 27, a man with a bike approached her and asked if he could use her cellphone. According to a police report, the woman said no and continued walking down 7900 Van Buren St. The man reportedly tried take her phone. The woman resisted and in the ensuing struggle, the man stabbed her three times in the back. He then fled on his bike. When the woman arrived at the courthouse, a police officer saw her injuries and called an ambulance. The woman had a seizure while waiting. She was transferred to Loyola University Medical Center.
Asleep in a stranger’s car
On April 27, a man took refuge in someone else’s car after spending all his money on pizza and vodka. The man told police he drank a pint of vodka the night before and spent all of his money on a slice of pizza at Domenzo’s, according to a police report. He reportedly didn’t know how he was going to get home, so about 4 a.m. he decided to sleep on the back porch of a house on the 1000 block of Marengo Avenue, but it was too windy. He walked down Marengo Avenue, and found a parked car with unlocked doors. He entered and fell asleep until about 6:35 a.m., when he said the sun woke him up. He started searching for his cellphone, which he told police he lost in the car. A man approached who pointed out that he was asleep in his wife’s car, and held him down until police arrived. The man was charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle.
Heroin uncovered during traffic stop
Police stopped a man for using his cellphone while driving about 3:15 p.m. on April 26. The man pulled into the parking lot at 7709 Roosevelt Road and gave the officer his state ID card, in lieu of a driver’s license. Police found his license had been revoked for a DUI. The officer asked if he had any contraband in the car and the man replied, “What? You want my dealer’s name?” The officer then asked what narcotics he had, and the man said he had about 10 bags of heroin worth a total of $100 near the front seat. He told police he had been clean for about three years but relapsed three months ago, and he bought the drugs in a Jewel parking lot in Oak Park. Police found the heroin and charged him with possession of a controlled substance.
Fixes flat, steals vehicle
A man was driving south on Harlem Avenue when his car tire blew out about 4:45 a.m. on April 29. He pulled into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Harlem Ave. to replace the tire with a spare when a man came up to him and offered to help. The man accepted the offer, the two replaced the tire, and then the driver walked to a nearby gas station to buy the man a soda and snacks. On the way, he realized he left his wallet and iPhone 7 in the unlocked car. He returned and found his car, cellphone and wallet gone.
Employee drives off with company trailer
On March 23, an employee of Dovgal Express Inc., in Forest Park, left on a shipping run with a company trailer, and eventually drove to Birmingham, Alabama. The company has been trying to get in touch with the employee since, and even sent another employee to retrieve the vehicle in Alabama, but when he arrived in Birmingham, he found the trailer had new locks on it. Birmingham police said they couldn’t do anything about the vehicle because it hadn’t been reported stolen. A Dovgal employee reported the trailer stolen about 11:47 a.m. on April 27. Another employee was sent to Alabama to again try and retrieve the vehicle.
Man drives off with product crates
A man stole several product crates from Thornton’s Gas Station, 601 Harlem Ave., about 1:41 p.m. on April 25. The suspect loaded more than 20 product crates with a total value of more than $500 in his van, then drove south on Harlem Avenue.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 23-30, 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 Nona Tepper
