Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports are an addendum to reports written in May, June, and July 2019. We had to ask for further clarification of these. Sometimes, albeit rarely, the age of a person arrested and charged is not in the report we receive, or charges are pending further investigation by detectives. While this information is included in other parts of the program the PFPD uses to document incidents, not all information always makes its way into the redacted narrative, which is what the media sees. Among other things, items redacted include names of complainants or others present when the police show up at a scene, birth dates, and vehicle registration numbers.
We note that the Park Forest Police Department is always extremely forthcoming regarding requests for information and clarification.
Charges for those arrested and reported in this addendum include criminal damage to property, obstructing identification, criminal damage to property, and aggravated battery.
A few new items readers might want to consider: Park Forest Police now wear body cameras. Every report for the past few months ends with a line similar to this, “This incident was captured on body-worn cameras. See Supplemental reports for further.”
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. All those arrested 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 DepartmentInvestigations 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.
Criminal Damage to Property
Justin M. Regular, 18, 925 White Oak Lane, University Park, was arrested on May 23 and charged with criminal damage to property after police were dispatched to the 23400 block of South Western Avenue to investigate a report of a domestic dispute.
Mr. Regular allegedly shattered a window of a car with a rock, according to police.
Misdemeanor Obstructing Identification
Tejuan D. Smith, 36, 5205 S. Morgan St., Chicago, was arrested on June 8 and charged with misdemeanor obstructing identification and resisting a peace officer when an officer observed a man sitting on a bicycle in the middle of the intersection at Osage Street and Sauk Trail. The officer was concerned about the man’s safety due to the passing traffic and a nearby accident, according to the report.
The officer asked the man, later identified as Tejuan D. Smith, to stand on the sidewalk. The man allegedly began yelling profanities and appeared to be making hand gestures consistent with gang signs, according to the report. The officer noticed that the man was allegedly carrying in his hand a bottle of alcohol which was open and half-empty, according to police. The officer later examined the bottle of alcohol and found that it was a 350-milliliter bottle of brandy, according to police.
The officer made contact with the man and immediately noticed that he had slurred speech and red, bloodshot eyes, according to police. He appeared to be highly intoxicated, according to the report.
The officer asked the man for his identification which the man allegedly advised he did not have ID on his person, according to police. The officer asked the man his name and he allegedly replied “Tejuan Jones,” and provided a date of birth, according to police. When the officer checked that name through a law enforcement database, he was advised by dispatch that the only match was for a man with a different year of birth.
The officer then asked the man he was told was Mr. Jones further questions in an attempt to identify him. Mr. Jones at that point began laughing and produced an Illinois State ID from his pants pocket, according to police. He handed the ID to the officer who saw the name Tejuan D. Smith on the card.
The officer then handcuffed Mr. Smith and advised him that he was being taken into custody on suspicion of obstructing identification, according to police.
Criminal Damage to State Property
Tione N. Dixon, 22, 11 Arrowhead Ct., Park Forest, was arrested on June 17 and charged with criminal damage to state property after police were dispatched to the 200 block of Arrowhead Street in reference to a report of a person with a gun.
SouthCom Dispatch advised officers that a man named “Tion” in a tan SUV reportedly drove by the complainant’s residence allegedly waving a gun out the window. SouthCom further advised that the complainant’s windshield was cracked from the alleged offender throwing a rock, according to police.
Upon arrival, police learned that the alleged offending vehicle was a tan 2003 GMC Yukon. That vehicle was located on Arcadia Street a short time later, according to police.
After stopping the Yukon, police ordered the driver, Tione N. Dixon, and a passenger, Jwuan J. Bolton, 18, 315 Meota St., Park Forest, to exit the vehicle. Police learned that Mr. Bolton had an active warrant in Park Forest on a charge of criminal damage to property and he was arrested in connection with that warrant.
During a search of the GMC Yukon, police found live ammunition, fireworks, BBs, and open alcohol, according to police.
Criminal Damage to Property
Marvell D. Nelson, 39, 343 Onarga St., Park Forest, was arrested on June 18 and charged with criminal damage to property after police were dispatched to the 300 block of Onarga Street regarding a report of a disturbance. While on their way, dispatch told officers that a man was allegedly threatening to shoot the complainants and now had a bat and was allegedly trying to hit another man and his vehicle, according to police.
When police arrived, they saw a man later identified as Marvell D. Nelson, holding a baseball bat in the front yard of a home in the 300 block of Onarga Street. Mr. Nelson dropped the bat upon an officer’s request. Police spoke with the complainants and Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson said that he was paid approximately $750 by one of the complainants to paint the complainant’s vehicle. Mr. Nelson said that he had done additional work but the complainant refused to pay him for the additional work, according to police.
Mr. Nelson said that they began to argue with each other over the money Mr. Nelson believed he was due.
Mr. Nelson allegedly told police that since the complainant refused to pay for his services, Mr. Nelson scratched the hood of the top of the complainant’s vehicle, causing damage, according to police.
The officer explained to Mr. Nelson that the financial agreement between the two of them was a civil issue but since Mr. Nelson allegedly and “knowingly” damaged the complainant’s vehicle he would be arrested on a charge of criminal damage to property, according to the report. Police placed Mr. Nelson into handcuffs after one of the complainants said he would pursue charges regarding the alleged damage to his vehicle, according to police.
Police transported Mr. Nelson to the Park Forest Police Department. The complainant responded to the station also and signed the criminal complaint against Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson was provided a recognizance bond and released with a Markham court date of July 11, 2019, according to police.
This incident, like others in this addendum, was captured on body-worn cameras by police, according to the report.
Aggravated Battery
Quincy D. Lee, 36, 24 Monee Rd., Park Forest, was arrested on July 14 and charged with one count of aggravated battery after police responded to a home in the first block of Monee Road at 11:14 PM to investigate a delayed report of domestic battery.
Mr. Lee allegedly hit a woman in the right eye, according to police.
A responding officer saw that the woman’s eye was swollen and discolored, according to police. The woman said that she had put makeup on her eye earlier to try and cover up the bruising but the eye began watering and appeared irritated, according to the report.
The woman agreed to be examined by paramedics.
Mr. Lee allegedly told police that he and the woman had gotten into an argument in the morning and she allegedly smacked him in the face. Mr. Lee then alleged “that his reflexes caused him to strike” the woman in the face, according to the report.
