Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Officer Sees Car Throwing Sparks: Police Reports Through Nov. 7, 2022


Officers at the first Main Street Nights of June 2022.
Remember summer? Here are three officers at the first Main Street Nights of 2022. (Gary Kopycinski / ENEWSPF)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- During this week in Park Forest, police investigated suspected cases of criminal damage to property, leaving the scene of an accident, and domestic battery, among other charges. In the incident of leaving the scene of an accident, a man gave new meaning to the term “rimming” when an officer followed a car that was throwing sparks while being driven without a tire.

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports through November 7, 2022

Criminal Damage to Property

Lori A. James, 56, 254 Blackhawk Dr., Park Forest, was arrested on November 1 and charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property after police responded to Marquette Street at 12:08 AM to investigate a report of criminal damage to property.

SouthCom Dispatch advised the responding officer that the complainant reported that a woman took patio furniture from his residence and allegedly used it in an attempt to break his front windows, according to the report.

According to police, the complainant said that he had been involved with Ms. James on and off for about a year. The complainant had ignored Ms. James’s calls and texts, which caused her to become upset, according to police. Ms. James then allegedly began to send threatening text messages, according to police.

On the date of this report, Ms. James arrived at the home at approximately midnight and began banging loudly on the door and ringing the doorbell, demanding that the complainant let her inside the residence, according to police. The complainant told Ms. James to leave the property or he would contact the police for assistance, according to police. Ms. James allegedly said she did not care and continued to yell at him to open the door, according to police. Ms. James then allegedly picked up a patio chair that was in front of a north-facing window and threw it at the center large pane window striking the aluminum window framing and causing damage, according to police.

The complainant said he wanted to pursue charges against Ms. James, according to police. The complainant provided police with video surveillance from his Ring doorbell camera.

Throwing Sparks: Leaving the Scene of an Accident

Gregory C. Allison, 41, 17 East Rocket Circle, Park Forest, was arrested on November 2 and issued citations charging leaving the scene of an accident, suspended registration, improper lane usage, and operating condition of pneumatic tires. The last charge is from 625 ILCS 5/12-405, which reads in part, “No person or organization shall place, drive or move, or cause or allow to be placed, driven or moved, on a highway of this State, any vehicle equipped with one or more pneumatic tires deemed to be unsafe.”

An officer was driving at approximately 11:46 PM on November 2 when he saw a 2010 silver Dodge Avenger traveling westbound on Lakewood Boulevard that was missing a tire, according to police. According to the report, the officer saw a vehicle throwing sparks and heard a metal sound scraping the asphalt.

The vehicle turned southbound from Lakewood Boulevard onto East Rocket Circle and then continued southbound, according to police. The vehicle parked in front of a residence in the first block of East Rocket Circle.

The officer asked the driver, Gregory C. Allison, why he was driving a vehicle with a missing tire. According to the report, Mr. Allison told the officer that he struck a pothole on the way home. Instead, police had taken a report earlier from a man on Forest Boulevard who heard a crash, according to the report. According to the report, when the man went outside, he saw damage to his vehicle. Police spoke with the witness, who said he heard the accident and saw a white or silver vehicle fleeing southbound on Forest Boulevard, according to police.

Police found that Mr. Allison’s vehicle had extensive damage on the front passenger quarter panel, and there was no rim or tire attached to the vehicle, according to police. When told about the other car, Mr. Allison allegedly told police that he did not realize he had struck a vehicle, according to police.

Domestic Battery

Dwight E. Evans II, 51, 215 Kentucky St., Park Forest, was arrested on November 3 and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after police were dispatched at 10:43 AM to a residence on Kentucky Street to investigate a report of domestic battery. Mr. Evans allegedly got into a physical altercation with a woman and allegedly began choking her by placing the crease of his elbow around her neck, impeding her airway, and causing her to feel like she could not breathe, according to police.

Driving with a Suspended License

Scott L. Williams, 27, 21 Olympic Village #3C, Chicago Heights, was arrested on November 3 and issued citations charging speeding over the statutory limit and driving while his license was suspended when an officer saw a green SUV traveling 50 mph in a 35 mph zone southbound on Western Avenue at 1:58 PM, just past Further Street, according to police.

A passenger in the vehicle, Zachary M. Williams, 28, 1908 Campbell Ave., Chicago Heights, was also arrested and charged with two counts of resisting a peace officer and obstruction of justice, according to police.

Resisting

Phillip J. Hubbard Jr., 27, 3616 Western Ave., Park Forest, was issued a municipal citation on February 18, charging resisting a peace officer when police responded at 8:53 PM to Court H-2 on Western Avenue to investigate a report of a man with a firearm, according to police.

Upon arrival, responding officers searched two courts and did not find a subject with a firearm. Police heard a disturbance, went to the rear of a home in the 3500 block of Western Avenue, and saw Phillip J. Hubbard Jr. “strolling through the courtyard shouting,” according to police.

According to the report, Mr. Hubbard appeared agitated by the officers’ presence. They advised Mr. Hubbard that they received a call regarding a man with a gun, and police advanced toward Mr. Hubbard, informing him that they would conduct a patdown for weapons, according to police. According to the report, Mr. Hubbard allegedly became argumentative and aggressive toward one officer.

Police instructed Mr. Hubbard to place his hands behind his back as he was being detained in handcuffs due to his “aggressive behavior for safety,” according to the report. An officer grabbed Mr. Hubbard’s wrist to put him in handcuffs, at which point Mr. Hubbard tensed up his wrist and started to pull away from the officers, according to police. At one point, Mr. Hubbard took a step forward and fell to the ground, bringing officers with him to the ground, according to police. Police took Mr. Hubbard to the Park Forest Police Department.

Domestic Battery

Rigoberto Roman, 30, 269 Forest Blvd., Park Forest, was arrested on November 7 and charged with one count of domestic battery after police were dispatched at 1:08 AM to a residence on Forest Boulevard in reference to a domestic incident.

When police arrived, they were advised that two adults were arguing, according to police. A witness said that Mr. Roman was not happy with how the food was made and argued with her, according to police. She stated that Mr. Roman had been drinking alcohol all day, and that was the reason why he allegedly became aggressive, according to the report. She said that Mr. Roman allegedly pushed her and threw her around the room, 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.


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