Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Rockford Man Allegedly Forges Vehicle Sticker with a Marker, Park Forest Police Say: Reports Through December 10, 2019


Officer Tim Jones Way, Park Forest Police, PFPD
The sign for Officer Tim Jones Way outside the Park Forest Police Department. (Photo: Gary Kopycinski)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports include arrests through December 10, 2019. Charges for those arrested include domestic battery, obstructing identification, and reckless conduct. The reckless conduct charge invited someone allegedly shooting a gun into the air.

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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 Department Investigations 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.

Felony Unlawful Altering, Forging, or Counterfeiting of Evidence of Registration

Quinten L. Sowell, 27, 2724 Prial Ave., Rockford, IL, was arrested on December 7 and charged with felony unlawful altering, forging, or counterfeiting of evidence of registration (a Class 2 felony), and felony aggravated driving while license revoked (a Class 4 felony). Mr. Sowell was also charged with an expired registration, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and processed on an active warrant from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office charging failure to appear.

An officer on patrol observed a silver Acura in front of his squad vehicle while traveling north on Western Avenue approaching Norwood Boulevard, according to police. The officer conducted a LEADS inquiry and learned that the registration for the vehicle had expired in September 2019, according to police.

The vehicle turned left onto Norwood Boulevard and the officer activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and affected a traffic stop, according to police.

The time was 2:34 PM.

The officer approached the vehicle and noticed that the rear registration sticker appeared to be handwritten with a marker, according to the police.

The officer spoke with the driver, later identified as Quinten L. Sowell, and asked that he furnish his driver’s license and proof of insurance. There was a passenger in the vehicle who identified herself as the registered owner of the car, according to police. There were also three small children in the rear of the vehicle, according to police.

Mr. Sowell gave the officer an Illinois identification card and an expired insurance card, according to police. The officer conducted a LEADS inquiry via SouthCom Dispatch and learned that Mr. Sowell’s driving privileges were revoked, according to police. The officer also learned of the active warrant out of DeKalb County, according to police.

The officer asked Mr. Sowell about the expired registration and Mr. Sowell allegedly replied that he thought it was “taken care of,” according to the report. The officer double-checked the registration and confirmed that “the sticker was, in fact, handwritten in black marker,” according to the report.

Mr. Sowell allegedly told the officer that he purchased the registration sticker in October 2019 for $120 from a store in Chicago, according to the police. Mr. Sowell did not have any paperwork or receipts for the sticker, according to the police.

Another officer arrived on the scene to assist.

Police asked Mr. Sowell to exit the vehicle and then placed him into handcuffs, according to police. Prior to placing Mr. Sowell in the rear of a squad vehicle, Mr. Sowell allegedly admitted to possessing a small amount of cannabis in the driver’s side map pocket, according to police. Police later recovered the cannabis and destroyed it, according to police.

Police retained the rear registration plate and sticker for evidentiary purposes, according to police.

The passenger had a valid driver’s license and was given possession of the vehicle, according to police.

Later, during an interview at the police station, Mr. Sowell allegedly told police that he was unable to purchase a sticker for the vehicle because he was providing other necessities for his family, so he took a photograph of another vehicle’s registration sticker and allegedly used it as a guide in forging his own, according to police. Mr. Sowell allegedly used cardboard, possibly from a cereal box, and a permanent marker to create a fake sticker, according to police. Mr. Sowell then allegedly applied the sticker to the registration plate using clear tape, according to the police.

Mr. Sowell allegedly said that the vehicle’s owner did not know that the sticker was fake and thought that Mr. Sowell had legitimately purchased the sticker, according to the police.

Assault

Venus M. Jordan, 21, 132 Berry St., Park Forest, was issued a municipal citation charging assault after police responded to the 100 block of Berry Street to investigate a report of a disturbance at a residence in the 100 block of Berry Street.

When police arrived, two individuals approached one of the squad cars and told the officer that one of them had been “jumped (battered),” according to the report.

While attempting to obtain more information from both individuals, one of them ran back towards the residence to which the officer had responded. There were approximately six people outside the residence, according to police. The other also individual ran towards the house.

The officer then saw a woman, later identified as Venus M. Jordan, allegedly grab a large stick from the ground and swing it at both of the individuals who previously had been speaking with the officer, according to police. The officer saw Ms. Jordan allegedly strike the arm of one of the individuals with the stick, according to police.

The officer requested that additional units respond, according to police. Police also requested “radio priority” as well as police units from surrounding towns, according to police. Subsequently, officers from Park Forest as well as officers from the Matteson and Olympia Fields Police Departments responded, according to the report.

One of the officers from Park Forest displayed his department-issued Taser, pointed it at Ms. Jordan, and commanded her to drop the stick, according to police.

Ms. Jordan immediately dropped the stick and allegedly attempted to walk away, according to police.

The officer advised her that she was under arrest on suspicion of assault, according to police.


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