Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Road Rage: Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through June 18, 2018


prescription drug take back program pfpd, road rage
The Prescription Drug Take Back Program is operating 24/7 at the Park Forest Police Department. (Photo: Gary Kopycinski)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Editor’s Note: These Park Forest Police blotter reports cover arrest incidents through June 18, 2018. Charges include criminal damage to property which seems to have originated with an incident of road rage. Other charges include domestic battery, driving while license was suspended, and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

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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 entail 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.

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.

Felony Criminal Damage To Property

Brion K. Johnson, 25, 3905 Tower Dr. Apt. 307, Richton Park, was arrested on June 8 and charged with one felony count of criminal damage to property and one misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property after police were dispatched at 4:24 AM to the 3300 block of Western Avenue to investigate a report of criminal damage to property.

A woman was sleeping in her bedroom when she was awoken by a commotion going on downstairs, according to police. When someone went downstairs to investigate the noise, that person told her that Brion K. Johnson, an ex-boyfriend, was downstairs. When police arrived, Mr. Johnson was not there, but Mr. Johnson called the complainant two or three times while the responding officer was present, according to police.

The officer spoke with Mr. Johnson and asked him to return to the scene. Mr. Johnson told the officer that he wasn’t in the area, but was in Matteson. The officer told Mr. Johnson that if he didn’t return to the scene, the officer would prepare paperwork for an arrest warrant.

Other officers arrived to assist. Police proceeded to check the area and attempt to locate Mr. Johnson. They located him in the first block of Cedar Street, according to police.

The responding officer located Mr. Johnson’s vehicle parked in Court H-5. Mr. Johnson’s vehicle was towed and seized per village ordinance, according to police.

The complainant then reported that an unknown substance had been put inside her gas tank. The responding officer searched Mr. Johnson’s vehicle prior to it being towed and recovered a gallon of Peak Antifreeze that had some antifreeze spilled on the outside of the gallon and an Ice Mountain water bottle that had antifreeze inside the bottle, according to police.

Another officer observed the complainant’s vehicle and noticed what appeared to be splash marks on the rear passenger side tire.

The responding officer asked the complainant about the damage to her vehicle. She related that while she was on her way to the Park Forest Police Department, the vehicle started shaking abnormally as if the engine was misfiring. The complainant had her vehicle towed to Kennedy Auto Repair Incorporated, an auto repair shop on North Street, to get an estimate for the alleged damage done to her vehicle. The estimate was $1188.79.

Police interviewed Mr. Johnson at the Park Forest Police Department. He said he parked his car near the complainant’s residence. He approached her vehicle, looked inside, and saw clothes belonging to another man. He then allegedly punched the complainant’s door four times, went back to his vehicle, got the gallon of antifreeze and an empty water bottle, according to police. Mr. Johnson then allegedly said that he filled two bottles with the antifreeze mixture and put it in the complainant’s gas tank, according to police.

Mr. Johnson told police that he was angry because the complainant was seeing someone else, according to police.

The arresting officer contacted the Cook County Felony Review and spoke with an assistant district attorney who approved one felony count of criminal damage to property. Mr. Johnson was charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property regarding the door that he allegedly punched, and one felony count of criminal damage to property to the vehicle, according to police.

Misdemeanor Domestic Battery Bodily Harm

Shalay M. Griffin, 33, 427 Talala St., Park Forest, was arrested on June 12 and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery bodily harm after police were dispatched to the 400 block of Talala Street in reference to a report of a domestic battery in progress.

Dispatch advised that a man had to jump a fence because a female suspect was allegedly chasing him with her vehicle, according to the report.

Upon arrival, the responding officer spoke with the female suspect who was later identified as Shalay M. Griffin. Police located the alleged victim who stated that he had already spoken to dispatch on a recorded line and did not feel the need to repeat what had occurred. He complained of a leg injury and stated that he could not walk.

Park Forest Fire Department paramedics were already on the scene and started treating him for his described injuries.

Ms. Griffin allegedly told police that she entered into a verbal dispute with the alleged victim and then he exited the residence to walk his dog. Ms. Griffin then allegedly said that she “snapped,” entered her vehicle, drove the vehicle, jumping the curb leading into a large grass field directly across from her residence, according to police. She told police she accelerated the vehicle towards the complainant to speak to him, according to the report.

Ms. Griffin was processed on the misdemeanor domestic battery bodily harm charge and placed into a holding cell pending transport to the Will County Adult Detention Center for a bond hearing, according to police.

Driving While License Suspended

Anton D. Williams, 37, 336 Waldmann Dr., Park Forest, was arrested on June 13 and charged with driving while license was suspended, no front registration plate, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and obstructing identification. An officer patrolling in the area of Westwood Drive and Wildwood Drive observed that the vehicle Mr. Williams was driving eastbound on Westwood Drive had no registration plate on the front of the vehicle, according to police.

After curbing the vehicle, the officer approached and spoke with the driver, Mr. Williams, who told him that he was not carrying a driver’s license. The officer asked him his name and he allegedly provided the name of “Antoin Dupree,” according to police.

There was a passenger in the vehicle who was not carrying an ID on her, according to police. She provided a name and was later released from the traffic stop.

The arresting officer later identified “Antoine Dupree” as Anton D. Williams after comparing photographs from previous arrests, according to police. The officer determined that Mr. Williams’ driver’s license was currently suspended, according to police.

Road Rage Leads To Criminal Damage To Property Charge

James J. Bywater III, 36, 17713 Community St., Lansing, was arrested on June 15 and charged with criminal damage to property when police were dispatched to 26th Street and Western Avenue to investigate a report of three men fighting in the street. The fight seems to have stemmed from an incident of road rage.

According to the report, the incident began when two men were traveling eastbound on Westwood Boulevard at Park Street. The driver stopped his vehicle after he saw a group of juveniles on their bikes waiting to cross Westwood to go northbound on Park Street. All but one of the juveniles crossed the street. That one juvenile remained still, apparently waiting for the vehicle to pass. So the driver proceeded eastbound on Westwood Drive.

As he approached the intersection of Norwood Boulevard and Western Avenue, and another vehicle passed him on the left and cut into his lane in front of him, forcing him to stop. The driver of the passing vehicle, later identified as James J. Bywater, got out of his vehicle and approach the driver’s door of the car he stopped while yelling and screaming profanities, according to police.

Mr. Bywater asked the first driver if he saw the children crossing the intersection earlier. The driver who had been stopped started backing up from Mr. Bywater and his car when Mr. Bywater allegedly threw a piece of metal at the front windshield of the first driver’s car, causing the windshield to shatter, according to the report.

At that point, to employees of Lifetime Automotive approached Mr. Bywater and asked him “the stop trying to attack” the first driver, according to the report. Mr. Bywater then allegedly pulled out a gray knife and pointed it at the two employees, according to the report. Mr. Bywater then proceeded in his vehicle on Norwood Boulevard, allegedly running a red light traffic signal at Western Avenue, and parked his vehicle at 26th Street and Western Avenue, according to the report.

Mr. Bywater then returned to Lifetime Automotive, removed his shirt, and allegedly asked the two employees to fight him, according to police.

At this point, police arrived on the scene and placed Mr. Bywater in handcuffs.

One of the responding officers recovered a silver knife from the right front pants pocket of Mr. Bywater, according to police. Another officer recovered the piece of metal Mr. Bywater allegedly used to break the windshield of the first vehicle. The employees of Lifetime Automotive confirmed that the silver knife officers discovered was the one with which Mr. Bywater allegedly threatened them earlier, according to police.

Mr. Bywater was assigned a court date of August 7 at Markham Courthouse.

Fleeing or Attempting To Elude a Police Officer

Jazia L. Haynes-Cummings, 24, 345 Forest Blvd., Park Forest, was arrested on June 15 and charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving while license was suspended, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, expired registration, and “speeding 35 miles per hour or over,” according to the report, when an officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound on Western Avenue from Main Street at a high rate of speed, according to police.

The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted to get behind the vehicle. The vehicle allegedly proceeded west on to Hemlock Street and the officer observed smoke coming from the passenger side rear spare tire as the vehicle accelerated. The officer activated his sirens, according to police.

The vehicle allegedly continued on Hemlock Street, turned west on two Indianwood Boulevard, north onto Forest Boulevard, then pulled into Court G-6, where the vehicle stopped.

Two other officers responded to the scene. An officer approached the vehicle and directed the driver, later identified as Jazie Haynes-Cummings, to get out of the vehicle. Ms. Haynes-Cummings was handcuffed and placed into a squad car. Ms. Haynes-Cummings was assigned a court date of August 7 at Markham Courthouse.

Criminal Damage To Property

Sierra N. Edwards, 22, 182 Nauvoo St., Park Forest, was arrested on June 17 and charged with criminal damage to property after police responded to the 100 block of Nauvoo Street to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance. Ms. Edwards allegedly kicked in the front door of the residence, damaging the door in the process, according to police.


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