Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—These are reports from the last week of January, 2025, beginning January 26. They include people processed on warrants, battery, aggravated, and more.
The reports follow.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning January 26, 2025
Warrant: Report of January 26
Police arrested Blake P. Bailey, 38, of the 2900 block of Scott Crescent, Flossmoor, on January 26 and processed him on a Cook County warrant on a conditional release violation because of a hit and run accident, according to police.
Several officers responded to the Blackhawk Drive and Sauk Trail area at 7:32 AM regarding a report of a suspicious person. While en route, SouthCom Dispatch advised officers that a man was allegedly attempting to break into vehicles in the area, according to police. Police note there is a car dealership in the area.
Police found the alleged suspect walking northbound on Central Park Avenue south of Sauk Trail and detained him. The man identified himself as Blake Bailey. He told police he knew nothing about anyone looking into vehicles. On January 26, officers discovered through SouthCom Dispatch that Mr. Bailey had an active warrant out of Cook County.
Battery—Bodily Harm
Police arrested Maurio M. Laye, of the 300 block of Marquette St., Park Forest, on January 27 and processed him on charges of criminal damage to property, battery—bodily harm, and domestic battery.
Police responded to a home on Marquette Street at 2:37 AM to investigate a report of a loud disturbance. According to the complainant, Mr. Laye allegedly struck a woman, causing her lip to bleed. According to the complainant, he also reportedly threw an object at a vehicle, causing the driver’s side rear window to break, police said.
Suspended Driver’s License
Police arrested Rakeem R. Barnes, 34, of the 400 block of S. Orchard Dr., Park Forest, and issued him tickets charging suspended registration and driving with a suspended license. Police also processed him on an active arrest warrant out of Will County.
Officers traveling eastbound on Blackhawk Drive at Indianwood Boulevard around 11:52 AM saw a black 2003 Chevrolet Suburban driving in the same direction ahead of them. They conducted a LEADS inquiry on the vehicle and learned that it had suspended registration for a mandatory insurance violation, police said.
Police curbed the vehicle on S. Orchard Dr. near Shabbona Drive and contacted the driver and lone occupant of the car, Rakeem R. Barnes. When they conducted a LEADS inquiry on Mr. Barnes, they discovered he had a suspended driver’s license and an active arrest warrant out of Will County charging failure to appear, according to police.
Unlawful Use of a Disability Parking Stall
Police issued citations charging unlawful use of a disability parking stall and illegal possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle to Tashara M. Williams, 30, of the first block of Hemlock St., Park Forest, on January 28.
Two officers were traveling westbound on Main Street from Western Avenue when they saw a black Chevrolet Malibu parked in the disability parking stall at Dollar General, 10 Main St. According to police, the vehicle did not have a visible disability parking placard. Shortly after, officers confirmed that the car was in the stall and had no placard visible.
Ms. Williams entered the vehicle and left the store parking lot westbound on Main Street. Police followed her vehicle southbound on Forest Boulevard to Indianwood Boulevard. According to police, the car disobeyed a posted stop sign.
An officer activated the emergency lighting on her patrol vehicle and curbed the Chevrolet on Indianwood just east of Forest Boulevard. Officers spoke with Ms. Williams and informed her of the reason for the stop. She allegedly told them that she parked in the disability parking stall because she recently injured her ankle, but did not have a required parking placard, police said.
While speaking with her, an officer detected a strong odor of fresh cannabis emanating from the vehicle. Asking Ms. Williams about the odor, she allegedly confirmed that she had cannabis in the car. Ms. Williams subsequently provided an officer with two Mylar bags, both containing a green flower substance, suspect cannabis, according to police.
Police issued her the citations and released her at the scene. She had a mandatory court appearance at the Cook County Courthouse on February 26, 2025.
Aggravated Battery
Police arrested Izekeo M. German, 25, of the 2800 block of 226th Pl., Sauk Village, on January 29 and charged him with aggravated battery, resisting, criminal trespass to a residence, and assault.
Officers responded to a home on Oswego Street at 8:22 PM to investigate a report of an unwanted subject. According to the report, SouthCom Dispatch told officers that a man was at the back door of the home, intoxicated, and was trying to get inside the house through the back door. The complainant told police she knew Mr. German but did not want him there as he was intoxicated, according to police.
When officers arrived, Mr. German told them he lived at that address. However, he was unable to provide any proof that he lived there. He allegedly was uncooperative and started to threaten officers that he was going to fight them and spit on them, police said.
The complainant alleged that Mr. German said he would not leave the home and would keep returning, police said. She then agreed to sign complaints charging criminal trespass to a residence against Mr. German. Police then informed him that they were arresting him on suspicion of criminal trespass to a residence.
Mr. German allegedly resisted after police handcuffed him and began walking him to a police vehicle. They placed him in the back of a squad car where he allegedly kicked the partition of the police vehicle, attempting to damage the windows, according to police. He then reportedly spat at one of the officers two times out of the squad window, narrowly missing both times, police said.
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.
