Fight in Kentucky Court: Police Reports Through December 15, 2018

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Editor’s Note: These police reports bring us through December 15, 2018. Charges for those cited in this time period include incidences alleging disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and possession of cannabis. There were also charges of battery and criminal damage to property in connection with a reported fight in Kentucky Court.

A bit of good news to report as well: there were no reported burglaries during this time period.

Providing more details than readers will find in any other police beat reports, we invite readers to subscribe to get the whole story, every day.

eNews Park Forest has always published 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 who have been charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.

An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty, and some people cited in these reports might not have been techically arrested. We will note those cases. All those arrested or cited 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.

Persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters including narcotics or gang activity are encouraged to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.

eNews Park Forest reports this information because the public in the United States has the right to know.  When that information is withheld or under-reported, it leaves questions.  We also want to show the work that the police force does every day that is not reported.  Police in Park Forest respond to thousands of calls per year, the vast majority of which do not end up with arrests.  Whether it’s conducting a routine investigation, pulling over a drunk driver, or responding to a possible theft at a store, the work of the police officer deserves acknowledgment by the public.

Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication: No Arrest

Michael A. Small, 32, 206 Ash St., Park Forest, was issued municipal citations on December 12 charging disorderly conduct and public intoxication after police responded to a residence in the 2800 block of Western Avenue to investigate a report of a suspicious subject.

Upon arrival, an officer saw a man who appeared to be highly intoxicated standing on the porch outside of a residence, according to the report. The man, later identified as Michael A. Small, “was acting belligerent toward the officers by calling the officers ‘n—-rs and b–ches,'” according to the report.

It appeared to police that Mr. Small did not know where he was due to his condition, according to police.

Mr. Small would not answer any questions from officers as to why he was there or where he was coming from, according to police. The complainant said that he observed Mr. Small outside his door knocking and “fiddling” with the doorknob as if he was trying to enter the home. The complainant told officers that he did not know Mr. Small and did not give him permission to be at his residence. The complainant told officers that he did not wish to pursue this matter with criminal complaints but wanted to pursue the matter on a municipal level, according to police.

There was no damage to the door or the doors lock, according to police. The responding officer took Mr. Small to his home on Ash Street. Mr. Small refused to sign the citations but he was provided copies of both alleged offenses, according to police.

Battery, Criminal Damage to Property

Janell A.K. Watson, 23, 10126 Pelham St., Westchester, IL, was arrested on December 15 and charged with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property when officers responded to Kentucky Court at 12:06 AM in reference to a report of a disturbance.

According to police, Ms. Watson has a child with a man who lives in Kentucky Court. The man from Kentucky Court drove to Chicago to meet Ms. Watson at an agreed-upon address. Upon arrival at the first address that Ms. Watson provided, Ms. Watson messaged the man and instructed him to drive to another address. He drove to the next address where Ms. Watson exited with a suitcase and the child. Ms. Watson placed the suitcase in the man’s vehicle, according to the report.

The man said that Ms. Watson appeared “agitated” at the time, got into her own vehicle, and allegedly drove away at a high rate of speed after exchanging custody of the child.

The man left the area to return to his home in Park Forest. Ms. Watson then began texting the man, requesting money that the man had promised to give her. The man said he told Ms. Watson that he had already been driving for a couple of hours to pick up the child and that he would not return to Ms. Watson but gave her his address in Park Forest with instructions for her to go there to pick up the money she was due, according to police.

Ms. Watson and the man’s current girlfriend then began exchanging text messages in which Ms. Watson allegedly began threatening to engage in a physical dispute with the girlfriend, allegedly threatening to drive to Park Forest to physically fight the girlfriend.

According to police, the girlfriend and four other women dressed up and were preparing to go out for the evening. Upon exiting the home in Kentucky Court, the girlfriend saw Ms. Watson outside in her vehicle. The girlfriend and Ms. Watson engaged in a verbal dispute which quickly escalated into a fight, according to police.

During the fight, Ms. Watson allegedly bit the right index finger of the girlfriend causing a skin abrasion and bleeding, according to police. The girlfriend also sustained scratches to her face and had mud on her knees from falling to the ground, according to police.

The man said he exited his home and saw the women fighting. He was able to separate the two and get his girlfriend to go inside his residence. He said he remained outside and Ms. Watson entered her vehicle and allegedly began driving erratically in circles, according to police. The man said he believed that Ms. Watson was attempting to strike him with her vehicle. He managed to run back towards his home at which time Ms. Watson allegedly backed her vehicle onto the driveway and into the wall of the home near where the man was standing.

Ms. Watson allegedly caused damage to the brick and mortar wall surrounding a basement well window, according to police.

The man said Ms. Watson allegedly attempted to leave the area when officers arrived.

An officer observed tire marks in the grass directly north of the man’s residence. The tire marks appeared to be fresh and were consistent with the man’s description of Ms. Watson allegedly driving in a circular pattern attempting to strike the man, according to police. Ms. Watson’s vehicle was towed per Village ordinance and she was taken to the Park Forest Police Department where she was processed on charges of misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. She was issued a court date of January 14, 2019, at the Markham Courthouse.

Ms. Watson later posted the required bond and was released at 3:20 AM and advised not to return to the home on Kentucky Court without a police escort, according to police.

Possession of Cannabis: No Arrest

Jeremy N. Jackson, 2815 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, was issued citations on December 15 charging failure to wear a properly fastened seat belt and possession of cannabis when an officer observed a white Chrysler traveling northbound on Western Avenue from 26th Street at a high rate of speed, according to police.

This was at approximately 11:11 AM, according to the report.

The officer activated his car’s radar which indicated that the Chrysler was traveling at 54 miles per hour in the posted 35 miles per hour zone, according to police. The officer performed a U-turn and initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at Western Avenue and South Street.

The driver, Jeremy Jackson, told the officer that he was rushing to drop his toddler daughter off to her mother. The officer detected a strong odor of cannabis emanating from within the vehicle. After checking Mr. Jackson’s license, the officer saw that Mr. Jackson was a valid driver but did not possess a medical cannabis license.

Another officer responded to assist and Mr. Jackson agreed that the vehicle could be searched, stating that there was nothing illegal in the car.

One of the officers searched the interior of the vehicle and located two clear, knotted plastic baggies each containing cannabis, according to police. The baggies were located inside the fuse box near the steering wheel column, according to police.

The officer also observed that Mr. Jackson’s seatbelt had been buckled and he was sitting with the lap belt and the shoulder strap behind him while driving. Mr. Jackson allegedly confirmed that was how he was driving, according to the report. Police issued the citations to Mr. Jackson and released him from the scene without arrest.