Local Police Reports, Park Forest, Politics

Signs of the Times: Campaign Police Reports


stop-stealing-signs

According to reports from several sources, this sign appeared on Main St. in Richton Park last week. (Photo: ENEWSPF)

Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— Two recent police reports involve campaign signs and Paul Jasinevicius, candidate for Village President in Park Forest.  The first, #07-04542, says that on Saturday, April 7, at 8:47 a.m., a police officer was dispatched to the Park Forest Police Department to investigate a report of theft. The officer spoke with Jasinevicius who related that he posted campaign signs with the permission of the owners of a business at 26th St. and Western Ave.

According to the report, Jasinevicius stated that the signs at both the addresses were removed. Jasinevicius did not have written permission to post those signs and was unsure if the owners removed the signs or not.

The second report, #07-04596, reports on events early Sunday morning.

damaged campaign sign

One of the vandalized campaign signs recovered by Park Forest police early Sunday morning. (Photo: ENEWSPF)

On April 8, 2007, at 1:30 a.m., a police officer was on duty in a fully marked patrol vehicle parked in the parking lot of Family Video on Sauk Trail, observing the area, when he observed a male subject standing next to a silver pick up truck at the Marathon Gas Station. The officer recognized the subject as Paul Jasinevicius, according to the report.

The report says Jasinevicius removed several political campaign signs from the rear of the pick up truck and placed the signs in the grass area along the Sauk Trail and Blackhawk Dr., side of the Marathon Gas Station. Jasinevicius then entered the silver pick up truck and began to exit the Marathon Gas Station onto Blackhawk Dr., by the pay phone on the west side of the Marathon.

Jasinevicius stopped his vehicle just prior entering Blackhawk Dr., and then exited his vehicle. Jasinevicius walked a few feet to a campaign sign in the grass area along Blackhawk Dr., to the west of the Marathon Gas Station pay phone. According to the report, Jasinevicius bent over the sign and used his hands in what appeared to be a wiping motion on the side of the sign. Jasinevicius then entered his vehicle, drove northbound on Blackhawk Dr., and then westbound on Sauk Trail.

damaged-sign-2

Another one of the vandalized campaign signs recovered by Park Forest police early Sunday morning. (Photo: ENEWSPF)

The police officer later drove past the sign on the west side of Marathon. It was then that the officer observed that the sign was a campaign sign for Village President John Ostenburg. The sign had a hole carved out of the center of the name “Ostenburg.” The officer contacted a shift commander, who responded to the scene and recovered the damaged campaign sign.

The owner of the damaged sign, John Ostenburg, was later contacted and advised of the above incident. Ostenburg advised at the time that he did not want to sign a complaint for the damage to his sign.

The case was classified as criminal damage to property. Jasinevicius did not respond to email inquiry for comment on these reports.


ARCHIVES