Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— As we continue to chronicle this year’s police reports, there were two days with three DUI arrests. The drivers were from Richton Park, Park Forest, and Merrilville, respectively. These incidents follow.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning February 8, 2025
DUI
Police arrested Serenity P. Neal, of the 5100 block of Arquilla Dr., Richton Park, on February 8 and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol and improper lane usage.
An officer stopped facing eastbound in the northbound turn lane at a red light at Sauk Trail and Western Avenue. While there, he saw a beige Ford also stopped, facing westbound. According to the officer, the Ford had stopped approximately 5 feet past the stop line. It was 1:23 AM. The officer turned northbound onto Western Avenue, conducted a U-turn, and saw the Ford travel westbound on Sauk Trail.
Police: Car Drifts from Side to Side
Turning to head westbound on Sauk Trail, the officer saw the Ford traveling in the left lane. It allegedly began to drift from side to side in its lane, police said. According to the report, the officer saw that both driver’s side tires crossed the center solid dividing line.
The driver, Serenity Neal, provided her driver’s license and stated that her insurance was on her cell phone. She searching for her insurance, but then put the phone down. She allegedly told the officer that she was drifting in her lane because of a vehicle behind her, police said. According to police, she stated that she was unsure if they were trying to get past her. The officer advised Ms. Neal that he was the only vehicle behind her and that he was in the lane next to her, police said.
He then asked for Ms. Neil’s insurance again. He asked Ms. Neal why she stopped in the turn lane. She stated that she was trying to get home, police said.
Officer Suspects DUI
According to the officer, Ms. Neal had bloodshot, glassy eyes and slurred speech. The officer observed Ms. Neal moving her fingers slowly as she attempted to find her insurance on her cell phone, police said. She gave the officer an insurance card that expired in 2017, police said.
Asking her how many alcoholic beverages she had, Ms. Neal initially said none, then stated that she had one, police said. She allegedly said that her last drink was at 1 AM at a friend’s home in Crete. Ms. Neal then provided valid insurance.
The officer asked Ms. Neal to exit the vehicle, and she complied. He escorted her out of the roadway and onto the nearby sidewalk. The officer advised Ms. Neal that he would be conducting Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to determine if she was impaired. He administered the tests. After the tests, detailed in the report, the officer took Ms. Neal into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Neal allegedly refused to submit a breath sample for the breathalyzer. Police note that while in a holding cell, Ms. Neal reportedly said in the presence of another officer, “I shouldn’t have had all those drinks,” police said.
Felony DUI, Felony Forgery
Police arrested Deja N. Smith, 26, of the 100 block of Fir St., Park Forest, on February 8 and charged her with aggravated driving under the influence (no license – expired over one year), aggravated driving under the influence (suspended), driving under the influence with a BAC over 0.08, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, forgery, obstructing identification, and unlawful transportation of alcohol by a driver.
Police responded to the intersection of Winslow Street and Park Street at 8:23 AM to investigate a report of a slumped driver. When they arrived, officers saw a white 2024 Volkswagen stopped in the middle of the road. The engine was running, and the vehicle was blocking traffic, according to police.
The complainant, who was present, advised police that the Volkswagen had approximately three subjects inside who were highly intoxicated, police said. Two officers approached the vehicle and saw three women inside. An officer opened the door and rolled down the windows, as there was no one in the driver’s seat.
Upon opening the windows, the officer smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. The three women inside the car identified themselves. According to police, one of the women, Deja N. Smith, allegedly provided a false name as she did not have a valid driver’s license. Asking why the vehicle was in the middle of the roadway, Ms. Smith related that they were waiting on a friend, police said.
Report: Driver was sitting on a bottle of tequila.
According to the report, Ms. Smith initially said she was not driving. She stated that a boy was driving, but would not give the police his name, the police said. Ms. Smith then told officers that she was driving from an ex-boyfriend’s house. While she searched for her driver’s license, an officer noticed that she was sitting on a bottle of tequila, police said. There were multiple small clear plastic cups with remnants of a liquid inside and a strawberry margarita can in the center cup holder console by Ms. Smith, police said.
Ms. Smith allegedly tried to conceal the bottle of tequila that the officer saw, according to police. She reportedly kept telling an officer that she was the driver and that she was intoxicated, according to police. She added that the vehicle was not hers.
Field Sobriety Tests
The officer had Ms. Smith exit the car to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. She had watery, glassy eyes and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath, police said. After the tests, police arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a valid license.
Police note that Ms. Smith asked why she needed to perform the tests when she already told officers that she was drunk, according to police.
At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Smith consented to a breathalyzer test, which showed a BAC of 0.172, according to police. The arresting officer had Ms. Smith perform a fingerprint inquiry with the name she provided. The fingerprint inquiry returned as a positive hit for the false name Ms. Smith originally gave officers, according to police. The officer later learned that Ms. Smith and the person whose name she gave to the police were sisters. Due to them allegedly using each other’s names in the past and being fingerprinted under different names, the fingerprints returned positive under the false name, according to police.
At approximately 3:05 PM, Ms. Smith’s mother contacted the arresting officer, who told him, in summary, that he arrested her daughter and she provided the officer with a false name, police said.
The officer located a previous booking photo of Ms. Smith with the name Deja Smith. At approximately 3:20 PM, the arresting officer asked her if her name was Smith. She told the officer her name was Smith and that she gave her sister’s name because she was afraid of getting in trouble, according to police.
The officer contacted the Assistant State Attorney and informed her of the false name and that Ms. Smith allegedly falsified her sister’s signature on multiple official documents. The ASA provided felony approval of aggravated driving while under the influence (no license), felony aggravated DUI driving during a summary suspension, and felony forgery, according to police.
DUI — BAC Over 0.08
Police arrested Patricia P. Palato-Jones, 37, of the 7100 block of Broadway, Merrillville, on February 9 and charged her with DUI — BAC over 0.08, DUI, and no headlights.
An officer travelling westbound on Sauk Trail at 1:05 AM saw a white Kia heading in the opposite direction that did not have its headlights on. The officer conducted a U-turn and caught up with the Kia.
The auto made a right hand turn onto Orchard Drive from Sauk Trail. According to police, the car was still traveling on the roadway without headlights. So, the officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Upon activating the patrol vehicles lights, the Kia continued to travel south on Orchard for a few moments before eventually curbing in the area of Orchard Drive and Oswego Street.
Making contact with the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Patricia Palato-Jones, the officer smelled a light odor of alcohol. The driver’s eyes were also bloodshot and glassy, according to police.
Report: Driver tells police, “I got to throw up and do number two.”
The officer advised Ms. Palato-Jones to turn on her vehicles lights. She responded, saying “Oh God. I got to throw up and do number two,” according to police.
The officer asked if she was on her way home and if she was close. She responded, “Yeah, I’m just trying to get to McDonald’s. I have to use the bathroom,” according to police. She gave her license to the officer.
While he was checking the status of her license, the officer saw Ms. Palato-Jones open the front driver side door and vomit, according to police. The officer asked her to get out of the car so he could conduct standardized field sobriety tests. After the testing, the officer took Ms. Palato-Jones into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence. At 2:15 AM, she submitted a chemical breath test which advised a test result of .111, according to police.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting that the police officers arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on the information contained in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has consistently published the names and addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department) shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identification of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes that all those arrested by police are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that 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.
We do not strike, “unpublish,” or delete news.
According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage individuals wishing to leave anonymous information regarding any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department’s Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
