Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports for February 29, 2016


PFPD sign
The Park Forest Police Department. (Photo: Gary Kopycinski)

Park Forest, IL–(ENEWSPF)–Editor’s Note: We continue our reporting on news from police reports. Besides covering the many stories from around Park Forest that otherwise might go unnoticed, we want to bring more complete coverage of police reports than is reported by other local media.

An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. All those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest to not remove items in the public record from publication. If your name is listed in the police reports, we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g. “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.

Special thanks to Barbara Gallagher for assistance proofing and editing these reports.

Persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters including narcotics or gang activity are encouraged to call 708-748-4701.

Ashley N. Cleveland, 30, 3366 Western Ave., Park Forest, was arrested on February 18 and charged with leaving the scene of an accident when police were dispatched to the first block of Indianwood Boulevard to investigate a report of a hit and run that had just occurred.

Jarrod D. Renfroe, 26, 1861 Ashbury Circle, Joliet, was arrested on February 19 and charged with driving while license was suspended, driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol, and no front registration plate when an officer patrolling in the area of Forest Boulevard and Main Street observed that the vehicle Renfroe was driving had no front registration plate, according to police. Police initiated a traffic stop at approximately 11:06 PM. At 12:04 AM, Renfroe was asked to submit to a breath analysis test. Renfroe agreed, and the test indicated that his BAC was .076, according to police.

A red 2002 Ford Windstar, Illinois license plate 3732439, was reported stolen from the 300 block of Seneca Street on February 2. According to police, the owner started the vehicle in the morning to let it warm up and went back inside her house, leaving the car unlocked and running. She looked outside a short time later and saw her vehicle driving away on Seneca Street toward Shabbona Drive.

A white Wii game console valued at $150 and a black Compaq laptop computer valued at $300 were reported stolen from a residence in the 200 block of Dogwood Street during a residential burglary on February 23. Entry was made to the residence by someone shattering the north side entrance door window, according to police.

Jonathan I. Garcia, 24, 56 Apache St., Park Forest, was arrested on February 24 and charged with speeding over the statutory limit, improper lane usage, driving under the influence of alcohol with a BAC over .08, and driving under the influence of alcohol when an officer patrolling northbound on Western Avenue near North Street observed the vehicle Garcia was driving traveling southbound on Western Avenue at a speed of 50 mph in a posted 35 mph zone, as indicated by the squad cars dash mounted radar, according to police. According to police, the officer detected the strong odor of burnt cannabis emanating from inside the vehicle. The officer observed that Garcia had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath as he spoke, according to police.

On February 24, at approximately 7:10 AM, a resident in the first block of Birch Street went to her side door to get the mail. As she opened the door, she discovered that the vertical window next to the door was broken. When an officer arrived, he noticed that the window was broken within a close proximity to where the interior door knob was located. The damage only penetrated the first pane of the double pane window. The second pane of glass had a white paint transfer on it consistent with the paint scuff of a statue that had been on the front porch.

A company-owned Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE cell phone was reported stolen from a business in the first block of Main Street on February 25. An employee had placed the cell phone down on a merchandise display, walked over towards the register on the south side of the store, then walked back down the aisle to retrieve the cell phone. Police have suspect information and are investigating.

A blue 2013 Dodge Charger, Illinois license plate Z178540, was reported stolen from the 400 block of Westgate Drive on February 26. According to police, the driver of the vehicle and a passenger arrived at the residence in the 400 block of Westgate Drive where they both entered the residence for a few minutes. The driver left the key fob in the vehicle, and the vehicle was left unlocked and running. While inside the residence, they heard the engine of the vehicle accelerate. When they went outside to look at the vehicle it was no longer in the driveway.

Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Dogwood Street on February 27 at 8:34 AM to investigate a burglary from a motor vehicle. A resident stated that she started her vehicle at approximately 8:25 AM to heat up the interior. She left the keys in the ignition with the doors unlocked. At approximately 8:32 AM, she observed a male subject wearing an Aqua sweatshirt, sitting in the driver seat of the vehicle. The subject in the driver seat of the vehicle noticed that she was observing him and exited the vehicle, running north on the sidewalk in the 200 block of Dogwood Street. A second subject, wearing a gray hoodie, ran west and then south along Dogwood Street. Police observed a yellow lighter on the sidewalk in the path of where the first subject had run from the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle told police that this lighter was previously in the center console of her vehicle. Nothing else was reported taken from the vehicle.

Demetrius J. Harvey, 46, 4228 Pinewood Lane, Matteson, was arrested on February 27 and charged with one count of felony aggravated driving while license was revoked, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and issued a traffic citation charging speeding when an officer conducting stationary radar patrol in the 2300 block of Western Avenue observed the vehicle Harvey was driving traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Western Avenue from North Street, according to police. According to police, the dashboard mounted radar unit locked the speed of the vehicle at 51 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Chestnut Street on February 27 when a resident called advising that she discovered a small hole, consistent with that of a BB projectile, in the upper right-hand corner of a window on the west side of her house. The projectile only broke the outer pane of the window and did not damage the inner pane, according to police. She told police that she was sitting in her lower-level family room when she heard a very loud noise as something struck her window in the room. She looked out the window and observed a vehicle driving at a high rate of speed towards Cromwell Street, according to police. The call was made at 11:18 PM.


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