Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These reports and the previous four (here, here, here, and here) conclude a busy first week of November for police. Charges in these incidents included domestic battery, felony possession of a stolen vehicle, and an arrest in connection with a warrant out of Cook County.
These reports take us through November 9.
We note that a busy week for police is never a good thing. Citizens and police prefer quieter weeks with fewer reports of crime.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through November 9, 2023
Possession of a Stolen Vehicle
Police arrested Blair N. Norman, 33, 624 Old Forge Ln., University Park, on possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 4 Felony, and issued her a citation charging expired registration. Police processed Ms. Norman on the felony charge and the expired registration citation and gave her a pretrial release notice to appear with a mandatory court date of November 28, 2023, at the Will County Courthouse. Police also seized her cell phone as evidence pending the issuance of a search warrant.
They then released Ms. Norman from custody.
Winding Down a Busy Week for Police
An officer patrolled at 6:58 PM, heading south on Western Avenue from Steger Road. He found himself behind a white 2021 Dodge Charger that had Michigan plates. After conducting a LEADS inquiry on the car, he discovered the vehicle’s registration expired on October 18, 2023.
The officer activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop on Western Avenue near Sycamore Drive.
The Vehicle’s VIN Appears Odd to Officer
Blair Norman was the only occupant of the car. The officer told her why he stopped her. Ms. Norman’s hands were “visibly shaking,” according to the report. Asking for her driver’s license and proof of insurance, Ms. Norman provided her Indiana driver’s license and an expired insurance card, according to police. The officer then saw that the vehicle’s identification number (VIN) under the front driver’s side of the windshield appeared faded in some areas, according to police. Also, “the placement was high,” according to the report.
Ms. Norman allegedly volunteered a statement “spontaneously” to the officer, police said. She reportedly shared that she had no registration paperwork or purchase paperwork on the Dodge, according to police. This was because she left it at home, according to police.
The officer asked to view the VIN on the driver’s door and Ms. Norman agreed. She opened the door for the officer. The officer noted that the secondary VIN was different from the dashboard VIN, according to police.
Police: Carfax Report Seems Off
The officer asked Ms. Norman where she got the car. She allegedly told him it was from an auction, and she met the seller through a friend, according to police.
Conducting a Carfax search on the VIN, the officer noticed that, despite being a model year 2021, there was no activity on the car from 2021-2022. The first time Carfax had a report on the vehicle was in April 2023, when Ms. Norman registered it in Michigan, according to police.
The report says that the officer was aware that vehicles manufactured in 2021 typically show activity on Carfax from 2021 to the current year, according to police. According to the report, a lack of such activity is consistent with stolen vehicles “re-VINned” with a false VIN.
Another officer arrived to assist. The first officer asked Ms. Norman to get out of the vehicle. This officer inspected the car and confirmed the actual VIN. He conducted a LEADS inquiry and learned that someone reported the Dodge stolen from East Chicago, Indiana, on January 27, 2023.
Police took Ms. Norman into custody.
This busy week for police continued.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested John H. Robinson III, 36, 19 W. Rocket Circle, Park Forest, on November 9 and charged him with domestic battery.
Police responded to a home on West Rocket Circle at 7:53 pm when SouthCom reported a 911 hang-up. As officers arrived, they could hear arguing inside the home.
One officer knocked on the front door. A man, later identified as John Robinson, came to the door and allegedly refused to allow officers entry, according to police. Mr. Robinson denied that there was a domestic disturbance at the home, according to police.
Complainant Confirms Disturbance
The complainant was standing in the living room near the front door. She confirmed to officers that there was a domestic disturbance, according to the report.
Other officers arrived to assist.
According to the report, the complainant was trying to leave the home with her child when Mr. Robinson allegedly blocked the front door, according to police. He began putting his hand in her face, police said. Mr. Robinson then reportedly choked her by placing both hands around her neck, according to police. He reportedly continued choking her while she walked down the hallway towards the back bedroom of the home, according to police.
Warrant
Police arrested Ester L. Davis Jr., 44, 1 Olympic Village, Chicago Heights, on November 9 and took him into custody in connection with an arrest warrant out of Cook County charging aggravated assault. The warrant had no bail.
This came about when police responded to a home on Shabbona Drive at 7:03 PM to investigate a domestic incident report. While there, they discovered the no-bail warrant that named Mr. Davis, according to police.
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.
