Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- While the week ending July 4 saw only one arrest, a DUI, there were eight incidents, seven arrests, during the week of July 5 through July 11. These included charges of criminal damage to property, aggravated assault, domestic battery, illegal burning, and DUI.
Police Blotter Reports Through July 11, 2022
Criminal Damage to Property
Chiedu H. Nwaokai, 35, 3442 Western Ave., Park Forest, was arrested on July 5 and charged with criminal damage to property after police were dispatched to Forest Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard in reference to a report of a disturbance on a Pace Bus.
Aggravated Assault
Shatona Q. Martin, 34, 124 Ash St., Park Forest, was arrested on July 5 and charged with two counts of aggravated assault (victim over 60 and the use of a firearm) and one count of possession of a firearm without a FOID after police were dispatched to Ash Street to investigate a report of an armed subject. SouthCom Dispatch informed officers that a caller reported that a woman pointed a firearm at a man, and the man requested that police be called, according to the report.
According to the report, the man identified as the alleged victim told police that Shatona Q. Martin pulled his firearm on him. According to the report, Ms. Martin allegedly admitted to grabbing the firearm during a domestic dispute after the victim allegedly “put his hands” on her. She allegedly told police she grabbed the gun because she was mad, according to police. Ms. Martin then related that she knew she should not have grabbed the gun and that if she needed to go to jail, that was all right, according to police.
Police recovered a 9 mm Taras G3C semi-automatic handgun. The firearm contained nine live rounds of 9 mm ammunition with an empty chamber, according to police.
The alleged victim said he wished to pursue criminal complaints against Ms. Martin on a charge of aggravated assault, according to police.
Domestic Battery
Charish L. King, 31, 1239 Harvest Lane, University Park, was arrested July 6 and charged with two counts of domestic battery after police responded to an address on Shabbona Drive in reference to a report of domestic battery. Ms. King allegedly punched a man in the eye and allegedly shoved a woman, according to police.
Battery
Robin J. Hopkins, 32, 309 Waldmann Dr., Park Forest, was arrested on July 6 and charged with one count of misdemeanor battery when police were dispatched to an address on Waldman Drive in reference to a report of a subject with a weapon. Ms. Hopkins allegedly punched another woman in the face after she observed a weapon on the other woman’s waistband, according to police. Police determined that the woman did have a valid conceal carry license and FOID card. Police observed footage from a surveillance camera at the scene.
DUI
Lendon J. Washington, 63, 69 Water St., Park Forest, was arrested July 9 and issued traffic citations charging driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI, a BAC greater than .08, and improper lane usage after police responded to the area of Orchard Boulevard and North Street to investigate a report of a motor vehicle accident.
According to the report, dispatch informed officers that a blue vehicle struck a pole. Upon arrival, police located a blue 1956 Chevrolet on the grass on Orchard Boulevard just southeast of the intersection with a number of people standing around the vehicle, according to police.
It was 1:47 AM.
According to the report, the vehicle had heavy front-end damage and knocked down a metal light pole. Police spoke with the man, who said that the tire blew off the vehicle and there was “something slippery” because the vehicle slid off the road, according to police. The officer asked the man who was driving, and the man said that he was, according to the police. The officer asked for the man’s identification, and he provided it, according to police.
The officer asked if the vehicle belonged to the man, and he said that it was his brother’s car, according to police. He pointed to a man on the scene, later identified as Lendon J. Washington, who was inspecting the damage to the vehicle, according to police. The responding officer then made contact with the 911 caller, who said she was turning northbound onto Orchard Boulevard from North Street when she saw the accident, according to police.
She told police she did not see who was driving the vehicle, according to police. She said she believed that the man in the white shirt, referring to Lendon Washington, was driving because just prior to police arrival, he was lying on the ground, and the other man told him to get up and to tell the police he, the other man, was driving, according to police.
The officer asked Lendon if the vehicle was insured, and he said that his wife was bringing insurance information to the scene, according to police. The officer then asked Lendon for his name and date of birth, and he said, “Uh, Joe, Lendon Washington,” according to police.
After providing this information, the officer overheard Lendon and his brother begin to whisper and overheard Lendon tell his brother, “Tell them you was driving… You was driving,” according to police.
The officer then asked Lendon if the vehicle belonged to him, and he stated, “Yeah.” The officer then asked Lendon if he was driving, and Lendon stated, “Yeah, uh, my brother was,” according to the report.
According to the report, the officer then informed Lendon that the witness overheard the two men talking about telling the police that Lendon’s brother was driving. Lendon Washington then allegedly confirmed with the officer that he was driving, according to police. The brother began to argue, stating that he was driving, according to police.
Police explained to the brother and Lendon that officers needed to know who was driving the vehicle for purposes of completing an accident report, according to police.
Lendon once again confirmed that he was driving the car, according to police.
Police noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from Lendon’s breath, and further, the brother had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and heavily slurred speech, according to police.
Police requested that Lendon perform Field Sobriety Tests when he immediately became emotional and began crying and sobbing uncontrollably, according to the report. The officer asked Lendon multiple times to perform the field sobriety tests, and he subsequently stated that he refused, and police escorted him to a waiting ambulance to be treated, according to police.
According to the report, Lendon was transported to Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields, where a BAC showed 190.2 mg/dL (serum blood). According to the report, this BAC equates to a 0.19 BAC (serum) or 0.16 BAC (whole blood).
Animal Bite
Andre Johnson, 56, 138 Hay St., Park Forest, was issued municipal citations July 9, charging animal bite, dog running at large, and required application issuance of tag, when police were dispatched to the 500 block of Antietam Street in reference to a report of an animal bite, according to police.
Illegal Burning, Warrant
Jose M. Reyes, 43, 3311 Roesner Dr., Markham, was issued a municipal citation on July 10 charging illegal burning when police were dispatched to the 300 block of Indianwood in reference to a report of a structure fire. Mr. Reyes also had a warrant against him out of Cook County, for which he was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Park Forest Police Department, according to police.
Fleeing and Eluding
Tenail R. Guest, 43, 430 Navajo St., Park Forest, was arrested on July 11 and charged with fleeing and eluding as well as resisting when police were dispatched to an address on Navajo Street to investigate a domestic complaint 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.
