Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A woman gasped for air, and her vision blurred as a man allegedly closed his hands around her neck. Telling police she wanted to be alone, she reported that the man refused to leave her home or allow her to leave.
In another incident, police found a shoe near a car they said the driver left after it crashed. But the car was no carriage, and this was no Cinderella story for a young Park Forest man. According to police, the shoe fit unraveled the teen’s tale.
The report follows other instances from mid to late July.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning July 13, 2024
Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Police arrested Montrey A. Franklin, 19, of the 300 block of Wilshire St., Park Forest, on July 13 and charged him with driving without headlights, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and leaving the scene of an accident with an unattended vehicle.
Police responded to the 100 block of Washington Street at 1:44 AM regarding a report of criminal damage to property. An officer was clearing a call in the 100 block of Walnut Street regarding a suspicious vehicle driving around the block where the caller was worried someone was trying to steal her car. The vehicle the caller mentioned was a black Mercury.
While on their way to Washington Street, this officer turned westbound onto Westgate from Wildwood Drive. He saw a black Mercury heading eastbound on Westgate Drive. According to police, the vehicle had its headlights and taillights off.
According to police, the officer notified SouthCom and nearby officers via radio that he may have located the suspect vehicle.
The Crash
When this officer turned northbound onto Wildwood Drive, the black Mercury was heading northbound, passing Winnebago Street, according to police. The officer got behind the Mercury. At this point, the Mercury crashed into several vehicles just north of Wayne Street and Wildwood Drive, according to police.
Other officers arrived on the scene to assist. They quickly checked all involved vehicles for injured persons, but all were unoccupied, according to police. Police checked the registration of the black 2006 Mercury Milan and found the owner. Both the front doors and the driver’s side rear door had been left open, according to police. According to police, there was a full airbag deployment.
Officers checked the nearby area but were unable to find any persons.
Contacting the Mercury owner, officers learned that a family member of the vehicle’s owner had a cell phone that sent an SOS notification. The alert indicated that the family member was involved in an accident, according to police. The police said the family member was Montrey A. Franklin.
Report of Carjacking
Next, SouthCom notified an officer at 2:22 AM of a reported carjacking in the 400 block of Sauk Trail, the parking lot of 7-Eleven. When police responded, Montrey Franklin met them. As officers exited their patrol vehicles, Mr. Franklin came outside the store. According to police, one officer saw that he was missing his left shoe.
The officer asked where his other shoe was. Mr. Franklin said it was gone because he was running, according to police. He said friends were with him, but they left. He allegedly told officers he was trying to buy cannabis from someone he never bought from in the past. He said that person and others with him took everything from him, including his cell phone, shoe, and wallet. Police asked him where this happened. He indicated an apartment complex near the Richton Park Senior Center Landmark in the 22600 block of Cicero Ave. in Richton Park.
Police Raise Suspicions
According to police, the distance from that location to the store where officers found him was approximately 2.1 miles.
An officer asked him why he came to that store to call 911. According to police, he allegedly stated that he did so because most stores were closed. The officer noted that Mr. Franklin’s right shoe was a blue New Balance with gray laces.
Police told Mr. Franklin they were detaining him pending further investigation. They put him in handcuffs and placed him in the rear of a squad, according to police.
Police asked if he was driving the car during the crash. Mr. Franklin allegedly said no and that he was robbed at gunpoint by people he was attempting to buy weed from, according to police.
A second shoe unravels the teen’s tale.
Meanwhile, other officers and a K-9 were canvassing the area in the 300 block of Wildwood Drive, where Mr. Franklin’s car came to arrest after the collision. They found Mr. Franklin’s left blue New Balance shoe with gray laces approximately 30 feet from the vehicle. While conducting an inventory of the Mercury, they found three cell phones, according to police. Police also recovered burglary tools and $850 in fraudulent United States currency.
Given the evidence police found near the crash, officers charged Mr. Franklin, according to police.
Possession of Adult Use Cannabis and Driving in the Wrong Lane
Police arrested Xavier B. Lott, 22, of the 700 block of Harrison Ct., Crete, on July 15 and charged him with possession of adult-use cannabis and driving in the wrong lane.
Officers responded to the Sauk Trail and Indianwood Boulevard area at 11:17 AM for a well-being check. According to police, a passerby called dispatch and advised that they saw a vehicle parked on Indianwood Boulevard with the driver’s head on the steering wheel.
Upon arrival, an officer saw a blue 2011 Chevrolet Impala driving northbound on Indianwood Boulevard from Sauk Trail. However, the Impala was driving in the southbound lanes the wrong way, according to police. The car then went over the curb westbound and traveled through Lyons Field near the tennis courts on Indianwood Boulevard.
Indianwood Boulevard is divided north of Sauk Trail.
The officer following then activated his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop.
Police find the driver unconscious.
The driver, later identified as Xavier B. Lott, appeared unconscious, according to police. His head tilted back, and his eyes were closed, according to police. Mr. Lott did not respond to questions from the officer. Furthermore, the vehicle was still in Drive.
Worried about Mr. Lott’s safety, the officer opened the front driver-side door, changed the gearshift to Park, and turned off the vehicle.
Mr. Lott slowly woke up and appeared confused, according to police. He told police he had just gotten off work and was just “tired,” according to police.
Police saw a cigar blunt inside the vehicle that contained a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis, according to police. The blunt was not inside a sealed container, according to the report. Police ordered Mr. Lott out of the vehicle. He gave consent for police to search the car, according to police.
He told officers the cigar blunt belonged to a friend and was not his. Police charged him with possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle and driving in the wrong lane. He had an initial court date of August 26, 2024, at the Markham Courthouse, according to police.
Violation of an Order of Protection
Police arrested Rakari J. Coleman, 29, of Shabbona Dr. in Park Forest on July 15 and charged him with violation of an order of protection.
Officers responded to a home on Shabbona Drive at 4:25 PM to investigate a domestic incident call. The caller reported arguing with Rakari J. Coleman, who was at the house when the police arrived. The complainant’s vehicle had a broken windshield. She alleged that Mr. Coleman broke the windshield, but she did not want to pursue complaints.
Police then discovered that Mr. Coleman had an order of protection against him from Georgia. According to police, the complainant was one of the protected parties. The order of protection was a no-contact order that had already been served. According to the report, it was set to expire on July 17, 2024. The report also notes that officers responded to the same residence three times on July 12, 2024, on domestic incidents involving the complainant and Mr. Coleman.
Domestic Battery Report: Woman Gasped for Air
Police arrested Davon Smith, 22, of S. Arbor Trl. in Park Forest on July 17 and charged him with domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence. In this incident, a woman alleged she gasped for air during an altercation with Mr. Smith.
Police responded to Arbor Trail at 11:57 AM to investigate a report of domestic battery. While on their way, SouthCom told officers a woman was trying to leave the household, and a man was allegedly refusing to let her go, according to police. SouthCom also advised that the man was standing outside the residence.
An officer went inside the home to speak with the complainant. She told the officer that Davon Smith had come into her bedroom. According to police, she asked him to leave because she wanted to be alone. Mr. Smith allegedly told her he was not going, so she said she would leave.
Police: Physical Altercation
As she walked towards the door, Mr. Smith allegedly grabbed her with both of his arms and began to swing her back and forth. At one point, she alleged that Mr. Smith also lifted her body in the air and began to sing an unknown song to her, according to police.
According to police, she told the officer and another who accompanied this officer that she had a video of the incident inside the bedroom. In the video, police heard the complainant ask Mr. Smith to let her go, and he allegedly refused. At one point, she was able to get away from him and began to walk in the hallway on the second level of the home. Mr. Smith allegedly followed her and grabbed her again, according to police.
Mr. Smith reportedly became upset and began to yell and use profanity, police said.
Report: The woman gasped for air as her vision went blurry.
The complainant continued to walk away. Mr. Smith allegedly grabbed her again and pushed her to the wall, according to police. She tried to get away and defend herself, according to police. Mr. Smith then allegedly used both of his hands and began to strangle her neck, according to police.
The woman told officers she could not recall a lot, but she remembered she cried and gasped for air as her vision went blurry, police said.
Disorderly Conduct
On July 20, police issued Breanna R. Wallace, 32, of the 300 block of Mohawk St., Park Forest, a municipal citation alleging disorderly conduct. Police responded to the 300 block of Mohawk Street to investigate a call about a neighbor problem. Police later reclassified the incident as disorderly conduct.
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.
