Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A man with no home and no address faces a charge of felony burglary after he allegedly entered an uninhabited house and stole a bottle of wine.
Police arrested Cordell B. Franklin, 29, on April 28th and charged him with burglary. The suspect had no address or home.
What Happened
Police responded to a home on West Rocket Circle to investigate an open-door call. According to police, SouthCom Dispatch advised that people went into an uninhabited home through the side door. Someone in the neighborhood told police that her security camera recorded a man wearing dark clothing with a backpack near the side door of the home in question.
Police contacted the homeowner, who checked on the residence a few times a week, according to the report. The owner said no one should be in the home.
Police Located a Suspect
While officers were speaking, they saw a man who matched the subject they saw on the video footage, according to police. They later identified him as Cordell Franklin. An officer instructed Mr. Franklin to get on his knees with his hands raised, and he complied.
Mr. Franklin allegedly said there was no one else in the home and that he entered through the unlocked side door, according to police. Police took him into custody.
In his backpack, they found a cold bottle of unopened wine, police said. On his person, police found suspected cannabis in a sealed childproof container, according to police.
Man with No Home Sleeps at Bus Stops
At the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Franklin allegedly told police he had no home and often slept at the bus stop at Main Street and Forest Boulevard. He reportedly said he knew of a vacant house on East Rocket Circle with a large dumpster in the driveway. He had not slept there before but decided to because of the rain forecasted for that night, according to police.
While in the area, he saw a home on West Rocket Circle and said it appeared “dusty and rusty” and decided to stay there instead, according to police. He allegedly told officers that he took a bottle of Moscato wine from the refrigerator and put it in his backpack, according to police.
An officer contacted the Cook County State Attorney’s office, which approved one count of burglary without causing damage, a Class 3 felony, according to police. The homeowner later told police she would come to the station and retrieve the bottle of wine, according to the report.
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.
