Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A firearm inside a spare tire compartment. After finding a man asleep inside his car, police found a black Zastava firearm inside the vehicle’s spare tire compartment. They also found that the man had been drinking, officers allege.
Alcohol and a firearm in a spare tire well, police said.
But, really, (allegedly) hiding a weapon in a Kia? James Bond would be so disappointed.
That was one of two men charged with DUI on the same day. The second incident involved a man who allegedly had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system, police said.
The next day, officers found another man asleep in a car. This third man allegedly had a bag of “magic mushrooms,” psilocybin mushrooms, police said.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning July 27, 2024
Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon—Felony
Police arrested Homer R. Woodruff, 60, of the 22200 block of Brookwood Dr., Sauk Village, on July 27 and charged him with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (a criminal complaint), driving under the influence of alcohol, parking where prohibited by a sign, and illegal transportation of alcohol.
Police responded to the Juniper and Fir Streets area at 8:22 AM to conduct a premise check. The call was later reclassified as a DUI. SouthCom Dispatch advised that the caller said a gold SUV had been sitting near Court J-6 with a door open and no occupants. When police arrived, they found a green 2024 Kia Seltos with its rear passenger tire on the elevated curb. The front driver’s side door was wide open, according to police.
The driver was reclining in the car with eyes closed and not moving.
An officer looked inside the vehicle and saw a man, the only occupant, later identified as Homer R. Woodruff. With his eyes closed, Mr. Woodruff reclined in the front driver’s seat. He was not moving, police said.
The officer notified SouthCom dispatch of the findings, and another officer responded to assist. Approaching the vehicle, the officer saw what appeared to be an unopened “tallboy” beer can near the center console.
The officer woke Mr. Woodruff. While speaking with him, the officer immediately smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Mr. Woodruff’s breath, according to the report. The officer also observed slow and slurred speech from Mr. Woodruff, along with droopy eyelids, police said.
Officer Suspects DUI
Mr. Woodruff exited the vehicle and told the officer he was okay. He said he was waiting for someone. As he spoke, he swayed back and forth while mentioning a tree and saying, “That’s it. That’s all,” according to police.
The officer asked Mr. Woodruff how much he had to drink. He replied, “I’m good,” according to the report. He allegedly rambled on and, at one point, said, “She drove me here,” according to police.
The officer asked for identification. Mr. Woodruff complied and uttered, “Please don’t do me, please,” according to police. He then told the officer that his sister lived “right over there” while he pointed behind police. However, according to the report, he could not provide an address.
After SFSTs, Police Arrest Driver on Suspicion of DUI
Police asked Mr. Woodruff to take Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests, an officer arrested Mr. Woodruff on suspicion of DUI.
Police inventoried his vehicle and found a white cup full of liquid. Due to the scent coming from the cup, police determined that the light green liquid within was an alcoholic beverage, according to police.
Firearm Inside Spare Tire Well
Police found a firearm inside the Kia’s spare tire compartment. According to police, the firearm was a black zipper bag tucked behind the spare tire.
According to police, officers checked with SouthCom Dispatch and found that Mr. Woodruff did not have a valid FOID or CCL. Inspecting the firearm from the spare tire well, police determined it was a 9 mm black Zastava firearm, Model M70A shoved inside a bag and shoved inside a spare tire well. It had a black steel magazine with seven live 9 mm rounds.
Police later asked Mr. Woodruff about the gun. According to the report, he allegedly told them he knew nothing about it.
DUI Alcohol BAC Over 0.08
Police arrested Matthew N. Howery, 41, of the 3800 block of Marilyn Dr., Richton Park, on July 27 and charged him with DUI alcohol, BAC over 0.08, speeding, illegal transportation of alcohol, and overtaking on the left.
An officer patrolling at 8:09 PM saw a vehicle, later identified as a silver 2021 Toyota RAV4. According to police, the Toyota was allegedly heading northbound on Western Avenue in the right lane at a high rate of speed.
The officer was traveling southbound on Western from Main Street.
As the Toyota passed the officer, he heard the engine revving loudly, as if accelerating at high RPMs.
The officer watched the Toyota in his left mirror and saw it change lanes to the left lane. According to police, it was approaching a stop at a red light signal on Main Street. The officer turned his squad around and pulled into the lane behind the Toyota.
There was one sedan between the officer’s vehicle and the Toyota.
Police: The vehicle uses the center turn lane to pass other cars.
As the traffic signal turned green, the Toyota accelerated and allegedly turned left into the two-way turn lane, crossing a solid yellow line to pass another vehicle. In doing so, the Toyota allegedly further crossed the yellow line on its left, partially moving into the oncoming southbound traffic, according to police.
The officer began accelerating to catch up to the Toyota and activated his squad’s emergency lights and siren. The officer reached a speed of 60 miles per hour, where the posted speed limit was 35 miles per hour. According to police, the Toyota was still pulling away in the distance.
The officer accelerated from 70 to 80 miles per hour while the Toyota maintained the same distance, approximately 400 feet ahead of the officer.
The officer had to reach 83 miles per hour as he began catching up to the Toyota when it started braking rapidly. As the Toyota approached Court B-1, it quickly swerved to the right, driving over the curb and sidewalk on the north side of the Court B-1 entrance, according to police. The RAV4 then suddenly stopped, nearly striking a tree.
Two other officers arrived to assist.
The officer who pursued the Toyota went to the driver’s door and spoke with Matthew N. Howery, the vehicle’s sole occupant. According to police, Mr. Howery allegedly said the cars were going too slow. Mr. Howery said he was trying to get home when asked why he drove so recklessly. He said he came from Pete’s Fresh Market on Lincoln Hwy. in Matteson. He said he lived in Richton Park, according to police.
Police: Western Ave. in Park Forest is not between the Market and Richton Park
According to police, the officer noted that going to Mr. Howery’s residence in Richton Park from Pete’s Market in Matteson did not require entering Park Forest. He also stated that Mr. Howery was heading north, opposite his residence.
While speaking with Mr. Howery, the officer noted that his breath had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. According to police, he also had watery eyes. The officer asked how much he had to drink that night. Mr. Howery did not answer.
The officer returned to his squad, where another officer informed him that a third squad clocked the Toyota at 88 miles per hour while heading northbound on Western Avenue. According to police, the posted speed limit was 35 miles per hour.
Police: Driver Has Three-Times Legal Limit of Alcohol in System
Taking inventory of the Toyota, police found a plastic bag containing a bottle of 1800 Tequila and two sets of plastic cups. The 375 mL bottle of tequila had a broken seal and was about 80% full. According to police, they smelled the inside of the cup and detected an odor of alcohol.
Police asked Mr. Howery to submit to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After administering the tests, an officer read to Mr. Howery the Warning to Motorist, which he subsequently signed. Police said Mr. Howery later submitted to a breathalyzer test, which indicated that he had a 0.251 BAC.
Possession of a Controlled Substance
Police arrested Brandon R. Lashley, 25, of the 1900 block of Cambridge St., Chicago Heights, on July 28, charging him with possession of a controlled substance and processing him on a warrant out of Park Forest.
While returning to their vehicles on a well-being check at 8:43 AM, police saw a red 2015 Nissan in the 300 block of Oswego Street. According to police, the Nissan had heavy damage on the passenger side. While looking at the vehicle, an officer saw a man, later identified as Brandon R Lashley, asleep in the driver’s seat.
According to the police, the man sat up as the officer looked at the driver. He then looked at the police and laid back down.
Inside the car, an officer saw a suspected cannabis and an open bottle of suspected alcohol, according to police.
Police See Smoke and Detect the Smell of Cannabis
The officer asked Mr. Lashley to roll the window down. He opened the door of the vehicle, and a strong smell of burnt cannabis emanated from inside the car, according to police. Officers also saw a visible amount of smoke exiting the vehicle, police said.
Mr. Lashley told police that the car belonged to his friend who lived on that street and that he did not have keys for it. He said he slept in the vehicle, and his friend was inside the home.
Police ran Mr. Lashley’s name through LEADS and discovered he had a failure to appear warrant out of Will County from Park Forest. Police also learned that the vehicle did belong to someone else.
Officers arrested Mr. Lashley in connection with the warrant. They did not find any keys to the car on Mr. Lashley’s person. However, they did find three Mylar bags containing drugs in his pocket, police said. Two of the bags contained suspected cannabis. The third bag, on the other hand, had what appeared to be small mushrooms, suspected psilocybin, according to police.
Later on, Mr. Lashley allegedly admitted to police that he knew that one of the bags contained psilocybin mushrooms, according to the report.
Warrant
Police arrested Zacheus A. Aina, 36, of the 200 block of Marquette St., Park Forest, on July 30 and processed him in connection with a warrant out of Will County.
An officer was stationary at the Park Forest Aqua Center at 11:26 AM when he saw a car heading on Orchard Drive. The driver was allegedly using his cell phone while driving, police said.
According to police, the officer activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop at Orchard Drive and Indianwood Boulevard. The officer asked the driver for his driver’s license and car insurance. While initially hesitant, the police said the driver, Zacheus Aina, gave the officer the license and valid car insurance.
Police said the officer then learned that Mr. Aina had an arrest warrant out of Will County for failure to appear.
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.
