Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Police arrested two people on DUI charges in two consecutive days. Officers charged one with DUI drugs and the other with DUI alcohol.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through February 1, 2024
No Bond Warrant
Police arrested Deandre R. Lawrence, 29, of Park Forest, on January 31 and took him into custody in connection with a full extradition, no bond warrant out of Wisconsin.
Police responded to a report of a suspicious subject on Sauk Trail and Shabbona Drive at 8:50 AM. A man allegedly approached the complainant’s daughter while she waited at the school bus stop. The complainant told police where she had last seen the man. Police located a man fitting the complainant’s description, Deandre R. Lawrence, police said.
Man Drives for Uber
Mr. Lawrence allegedly told police that after he dropped off his niece, he saw a woman sitting in the middle of the road and wanted to see if she needed a ride, according to the report. Police asked him where he lived. He told them he lived with his sister.
Mr. Lawrence’s sister confirmed that and told police he was an Uber driver, according to the report.
Police met with the juvenile, her mother, and grandmother, who said she was scared when the man approached her. Officers learned there was no physical contact or threats of violence towards the girl, according to police. They held Mr. Lawrence pending extradition to Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.
DUI Drugs, Possession of Cannabis
Police arrested Sonee P. McClellan, 34, Park Forest, on January 31 and charged her with driving under the influence of drugs, speeding, improper Lane usage, and possession of cannabis by a driver. Police were conducting a Speed Enforcement Detail sponsored by the Illinois Department Of Transportation.
On January 31 at 9:49 AM, an officer saw a maroon Honda CRV traveling eastbound on Hemlock Street. The Honda turned southbound onto Western Avenue. It allegedly made a wide turn, crossing the center line with more than half of the vehicle inside the median Lane, according to police.
Police: The car continued to drift.
The car then drifted back into the curb lane, nearly striking the curb. It then moved inward to the median Lane again, crossing the center lane, and then back into the curb lane, according to police. The car accelerated to 45 mph in the posted 35 mph zone, according to police. The observing officer curbed the vehicle on Sauk Trail at Windsor Street, approached the driver’s side of the car, and spoke with Sonee P. McClellan, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.
Driver Shows Image of ID, Has Valid License
Ms. McClellan did not have her identification but displayed an image of her Illinois State ID card on her phone, according to police. Police learned that she did have a valid driver’s license. An officer detected the odor of both burnt and fresh cannabis as well as alcohol emanating from the vehicle, according to police.
Ms. McClellan told the officer she does smoke cannabis, but she had not smoked that day, according to police. She denied drinking any alcohol the day before or on this date. She told police she does not drink.
Officer Conducts SFSTs
The officer asked her to exit the vehicle so he could conduct Field Sobriety Testing. After the testing, the officer advised Ms. McClellan that she was under arrest and handcuffed her without incident.
While conducting an inventory of her vehicle, an officer found a brown, hand-rolled cigar containing suspect cannabis inside her purse. This later field-tested positive for the presumptive presence of cannabis, according to the report. Police also saw an open alcohol can in the center console cup holder.
Police: BAC is 0.000. Driver agrees to further tests.
At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. McClellan took a breath test with a reading of 0.000. According to police, she then agreed to provide blood and urine samples. Police transported her to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields.
At 11:45 AM, St. James staff completed a DUI kit with Ms. McClellan. The kit was then packaged and sealed, according to police. Police charged Ms. McClellan and entered the DUI kit into evidence. Officers sent it to the Illinois State Police Crime Laboratory for further testing, according to police.
DUI Alcohol
Police arrested Dianne L. Stegall, 51, Park Forest, on February 1 and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol and a municipal citation on a charge of speeding. According to the report, an officer traveling south on Western Avenue from 26th Street at 3:22 AM saw a white SUV driving in front of him “at a high rate of speed.” The officer paced the vehicle, a white 2023 Acura RDX, and estimated it to be traveling at least 50 mph in the 35 mph zone, police said.
Activating his emergency lights, the officer intended to curb the Acura on Western near Hemlock Street. The car slowed but did not immediately stop, according to police. It made a “wide right turn” onto Sauk Trail and then stopped, police said. According to police, it took 30 seconds for the car to stop.
Officer Speaks with Driver
The responding officer approached the vehicle’s passenger side and spoke with the driver. She was the sole occupant of the car, Dianne L. Stegall. He told her why he stopped her vehicle.
“Oh, I have to use the bathroom,” Ms. Stegall responded, police said.
The officer asked for her driver’s license and proof of insurance. The police said she allegedly had difficulty opening her glove box. She did, however, provide the officer with her insurance card. Ms. Stegall also provided her driver’s license.
Police: The driver said she was coming from work four hours prior.
She told the officer she was leaving work and got off at 11:00 PM. The officer told her it was currently 3:00 AM. She responded by saying that she had to work overtime. The officer detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle’s interior.
According to the report, Ms. Stegall had glassy eyes, and her speech “had a distinct and slow slur.” The officer asked her to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. She refused. Eventually, she performed horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN). Ms. Stegall called someone on her phone. She told that person about the stop and subsequently refused to perform the HGN test, according to police. The officer told her she needed to perform additional SFSTs. She refused. The officer told her to get out of the vehicle. She allegedly told the officer, “I don’t have to do that.”
The officer told her he was arresting her on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the officer, Ms. Stegall continued to slur her speech, make incoherent statements, and show other signs of intoxication.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is 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 continuously published the 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 identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest 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.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
