Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- The start of the year saw domestic battery reports, including one incident of alleged felony aggravated domestic battery – strangulation. Police also charged a woman from Chatham, Illinois, with DUI.
In the incident of alleged strangulation, both the reported victim and aggressor had been drinking and were “high on drugs,” according to the report.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through January 20, 2024
Aggravated Battery
Police arrested Welborn R. Williams, 60, 151 Main St., Park Forest, on January 14 and charged him with aggravated battery. Police responded to a residence in the 100 block of Main Street at 11:48 PM to investigate a disturbance report. They spoke with a person who said she was visiting a friend. The woman alleged that Wellborn R Williams beat her, according to police.
An officer observed swelling to the left side of her forehead. When police found Mr. Williams, they noticed that he was allegedly “highly intoxicated,” according to the report.
Felony Aggravated Domestic Battery – Strangulation
Police arrested Sherman R. Hearns, 56, 220 Union St., Joliet, on January 15 and charged him with felony aggravated domestic battery–strangulation. Police also charged him with interfering with the reporting of domestic battery.
Officers responded to an address on Tomahawk Street at 1:00 AM to investigate a report of a domestic incident. The complainant said he was in a verbal disagreement with his uncle, Sherman Hearns, about the complainant allegedly selling cocaine to Mr. Hearns earlier in the night. According to the report, Mr. Hearns still owed the complainant money for the cocaine.
Alleged Strangulation
Mr. Hearns allegedly grabbed the complainant around the throat with both hands and choked him, according to police. The complainant said his vision began to go fuzzy when his mother pulled Mr. Hearns off of him, according to police. He alleged that Mr. Hearns strangled him for about 23 seconds, according to police.
According to the report, Mr. Hearns denied anything approaching strangulation. Instead, he said he believed the complainant was going to attack him. He said the two grabbed each other by the shirt and fell on the couch, according to police.
Alleged Drinking and Drugs Preceded Reported Strangulation
The complainant allegedly told police he had been drinking and that he was high on drugs during the incident. He alleged that Mr. Hearns was in the same condition.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Anthony J Jefferson, 21, 151 Elm Street, Park Forest, on January 17 and charged him with domestic battery.
Officers responded to an address on Elm Street at 9:47 AM regarding a report of a domestic disturbance. The complainant reported seeing a man and woman physically fighting on Elm Street. The complainant alleged that the man fled the area in a grey Infiniti with tinted windows.
“Things of Infidelity” on a Phone
One of the officers found a woman involved in the alleged domestic disturbance. She said she was staying with Anthony J. Jefferson at his home on Elm Street. Just before officers arrived, Mr. Jefferson allegedly went through her cell phone and found “things of infidelity on her phone,” according to the report. The two began to argue.
During their argument, she alleged that Mr. Jefferson punched her in the face once with a closed fist and broke her cell phone, according to police. Another officer located Mr. Jefferson in his gray 2010 Infiniti at Elm Street and Western Avenue.
DUI and UUW
Police arrested Taquila B. Blount, 24, 802 Titan Blvd., Chatham, IL, on January 20 and charged her with driving under the influence and unlawful use of a weapon. Police also gave Ms. Blount tickets charging DUI, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle, and suspended registration.
Accident and a Damaged Light Pole
Police responded to Monee Road on January 20 at 3:12 AM to investigate an accident report. When they arrived, police found a red 2020 Hyundai Sonata on the side of the road in front of a home. The car was facing eastbound but was on the north side of the street, according to police.
Tire marks in the snow started from the westbound lane of Monee Road.
According to police, the vehicle hit a light pole and was damaged slightly.
Police spoke with the driver, Taquila B. Blount. Ms. Blount said she was driving eastbound on Monee Road when her vehicle slipped and crashed. She also said that one of her tires was bad and could have contributed to her losing control of the car.
Ms. Blount and her passengers did not have any observable signs of injury. They told police they were okay and did not need medical attention, according to the report.
Report: Police Smell Alcohol
An officer asked Ms. Blount if she had anything to drink. She allegedly said she had a margarita earlier. According to police, Ms. Blount’s breath had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. An officer asked her if she believed she was impaired. She said she was not.
The officer then began conducting Standardized Field Sobriety Tests with her.
\After the testing, police told Ms. Blount they were arresting her on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to the report, Ms. Blount allegedly changed her story about the accident and said someone hit her vehicle from behind. Per the report, she said this caused her to lose control of the car.
According to the report, Ms. Blount could not provide officers with any information about the other vehicle. Police also saw no evidence of an accident at the scene.
Driver Refuses Breathalyzer, Police Find a Glock
At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Blount refused to take a breathalyzer test.
At the Park Forest PD lockup, officers found a black Glock 27 (.40 caliber) inside Ms. Blount’s purse. The magazine was also in the purse, but it was separate from the Glock.
Police learned that Ms. Blount had a valid FOID but no concealed carry license. They also discovered two small packets with a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis. Both packets had California stamps on them. Ms. Blount said she obtained the cannabis from an Illinois dispensary, 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 in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is 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 continuously published the 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 identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest 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.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
