Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports, which include a 3 AM DUI arrest, are complete through November 10, 2020. Charges for those arrested DUI and battery.
There were no arrests for the next week, date ending November 7, 2020. There were burglary reports which we will publish.
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use the word “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those arrested and/or charged have committed any offenses. We report on what is in the media reports furnished by police. As those charged are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
Providing more details than readers will find in any other police beat reports, we invite readers to subscribe to get the whole story, every day.
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.
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 end up with 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.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through November 10, 2020
3 AM DUI
Abril Diaz, 20, 7811 S. Kedvale Ave., Chicago, was arrested on November 7 and charged with operation of an uninsured motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI greater than 0.08, disobeying a stop sign, and speeding over the posted limit. Ms. Diaz was also charged with one count of alcohol consumption by a minor.
An officer was on patrol at 3 AM on Shabbona Drive just north of Blackhawk Drive when he observed a vehicle driving northbound on Blackhawk Drive allegedly at a high rate of speed and completely disregarding a stop sign at that intersection, “failing to even slow down prior to crossing the intersection,” according to police.
The officer followed the car northbound on Blackhawk Drive and noted that the vehicle allegedly continued at a high rate of speed, traveling 49 mph in a posted 30 mph zone, according to the officer’s radar. The officer caught up with the vehicle as it turned westbound onto Sauk Trail from Blackhawk Drive. The officer activated the emergency lighting on his patrol vehicle and curbed the car on Sauk Trail just West of Central Park Avenue.
The officer approached the vehicle on the passenger side and knocked on the rear window of the car informing the driver to lower all windows as they all had dark tint, according to police. The driver was later identified as Abril Diaz.
The vehicle had a total of five people in it.
The officer detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from inside the car, according to police. Ms. Diaz told the officer that she consumed her last alcoholic beverage at 1 AM, according to police. She told the officer that they had been at a family party. The officer conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, explaining them and demonstrating them to Ms. Diaz, according to the report.
For the exercise, “walk and turn,” Ms. Diaz was allegedly unable to assume the starting position without stepping off the line, according to police. Ms. Diaz took nine steps, none being heel-to-toe as instructed, according to police.
At the Park forest Police Department, Ms. Diaz submitted a breath sample yielding a .084 breath alcohol content, according to police. The vehicle was seized and towed per local ordinance. The others in the car were released without charges.
Battery
Jireh N. Kelsey, 19, 1711 N. Lorel Ave., Chicago, was arrested on November 10 and charged with battery after police responded to the area of Sauk Trail and Central Park Avenue at 10:30 PM to assist a Richton Park officer who was flagged down by two subjects, according to police. According to police, Mr. Kelsey told police that the female victim allegedly scratched his face so he allegedly “smacked her one time in the mouth,” according to police.