Forest Park police charged a 43-year-old Chicago man with disorderly conduct after he allegedly threatened to “shoot” employees at Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave., after they refused to honor a warranty to change a tire on his car on Oct. 4 about 9:30 a.m.
Police located the man in his vehicle in the parking lot of the store and told him to exit his car. A search of the vehicle turned up no weapons. The man told police he was attempting to get a new tire for his car because it was flat and he had a warranty on the tire.
However, an employee reportedly told the man that the warranty wasn’t valid at the Forest Park location and that he needed to go to the Walmart where he bought the tire. At that point, according to the police report, the man became irate, started yelling and cursing and threatened to “beat everyone up and return with a gun and shoot everyone” if his tire didn’t get changed.
The man told police that he didn’t threaten to shoot anyone, but did threaten to beat everyone up. As for getting his tire changed, the man likely is out of luck since he was told not to go to any Walmart location in the future or he’d be arrested for trespassing.
Felony drug charges
Two men face felony drug charges after police reported finding them in possession of crack cocaine and methamphetamine packaged for sale as well as paraphernalia suggesting that the two were engaged in dealing drugs on Oct. 2 around 1:15 a.m.
Police said they observed a vehicle at the pumps at Thorntons gas station, 601 Harlem Ave., a location “known for a high rate of illegal narcotics sales and illegal narcotics consumption.”
An officer walked up to the vehicle and engaged the driver, who exited the vehicle, in conversation. During that conversation, the office reported seeing a bong in the driver’s compartment and the driver wearing a necklace with two small containers on it.
Police said the man handed the necklace to the officer, who reported the containers held cocaine. From containers on a similar chain on the driver’s belt loop, police reported finding methamphetamine.
In all, police reported recovering from both the driver and his passenger about 9.6 grams of methamphetamine, a half-gram of cocaine, two scales, zip-top bags and $195 in cash.
Charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance were Luke B. Swanson, 24, of St. Charles, and another man, whom police did not fully identify in the report.
Man eludes police pursuit
Police continue to search for a man who eluded them during a brief high-speed chase on Roosevelt Road on Oct. 4 after he allegedly attempted to stab someone with a screwdriver.
Forest Park officers responded to the vicinity of First Avenue and Roosevelt Road about 12:30 a.m. and located the vehicle, a dark gray Camaro, exiting the parking lot at Madden Mental Health Center.
Police tried to block the car’s exit by stopping in its path, but the Camaro swerved around the squad car and sped westbound on Roosevelt Road. An officer attempting to pursue the Camaro said his speed reached 75 mph, but the Camaro continued to pull away.
Officers called off the pursuit after they received word of the alleged offender’s identity.
Garage burglary
A resident of the 1000 block of Ferdinand Avenue flagged down a patrol officer on Oct. 1 about 12:20 p.m. to report that his garage had been broken into.
The victim told the officer that, sometime between 7 a.m. and noon, two snow blowers and a lawnmower had been stolen from his garage. He could pinpoint the time frame, he told police, because he saw the items when he drove his child to school.
According to the report, the victim said he assumed the offender gained entry to the garage through the side service door. The report did not state whether the door had been locked, but police did not report any damage.
Mural ‘habitually’ defaced
Forest Park police responded to the southeast end of the Circle Avenue bridge over I-290 on the morning of Oct. 5 after a resident called to report from a resident that the mural along the wall — specifically words stating “no human is illegal” — is “habitually” vandalized by someone painting over the words.
The resident told police she had since repainted the words onto the mural. She also informed police she had been in contact with the village administrator, who is aware of the ongoing problem.
The mural was discovered defaced on Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. The last time it was defaced was in July.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 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 Bob Uphues
