Park Forest, IL—(ENWSPF)—Four DUIs in eight days. That’s how many people were arrested and charged in early March, before the middle of the month. We take a deep dive into each. There is no justification for getting behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence or, in these cases, allegedly under the influence. We also cover the other police instances during that period.
Park Forest Police Reports – DUIs and More Through March 11, 2024
Deep Dive: BAC Over Twice the Legal Limit
Police arrested Maurissa R. Jordan, 29, Matteson, on March 2 and charged her with DUI: BAC over 0.08, DUI, suspended driver’s license, and improper lane usage.
An officer patrolling at 9:49 PM saw a 2001 Ford Focus in the left-hand lane of Sauk Trail as it approached the rear of his vehicle. As the Ford passed the officer, the officer saw that the vehicle allegedly failed to maintain proper lane usage, according to police. It crossed the solid yellow line and swayed from side to side within the lane.
Approaching Indianwood Boulevard, the officer saw the Ford begin to accelerate and then jerk back into the lane, according to police. The officer reached 51 mph in a 35 mph posted zone while catching up to the Ford.
Officer Stops Vehicle
The officer activated his emergency lights to curb the vehicle. The Ford turned off Sauk Trail into the parking lot of Rich East High School. The driver and sole occupant of the car was Maurissa Jordan. According to the report,
Ms. Jordan’s speech was slurring; she had droopy eyelids, and there was an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath, according to police.
Asking her whether she had anything to drink that night, Ms. Jordan replied that she had not. The officer suspected DUI and asked Ms. Jordan to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests, the officer took Ms. Jordan into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Jordan completed a breathalyzer test and produced a sample of 0.201, according to police.
Trespassing
Police arrested Christopher M. Williams, 30, Park Forest, on March 3 and charged him with trespassing after police responded to a business in the first block of Main Street to investigate a report of an unwanted subject.
Will County Warrant
Police arrested Latia S. Alexander, 33, Park Forest, on March 5 and took her into custody in connection with a failure to appear warrant out of Will County. According to police, an officer stopped Ms. Alexander’s vehicle after it allegedly ran a stop sign at the intersection of Forest Boulevard and Main Street.
Aggravated Assault and Battery
Police arrested Calvin J. Johnson, 51, Chicago, and charged him with aggravated assault and battery. An officer responded to a business on Sauk Trail to investigate a disturbance report. Upon arrival, an officer detained Calvin Johnson and discovered a small DeWalt pocket knife in his cargo pant pocket. Police later determined this pocket knife was the weapon allegedly used.
Another officer entered the business and found multiple tables and chairs knocked over in the lobby area.
Police: Complainant Suffers Lacerations
Making contact with the complainant, the officer saw that the complainant held an injured left hand with obvious minor lacerations, according to police. The complainant also had a laceration on his chin, according to police.
The complainant and Mr. Johnson got into a dispute where Mr. Johnson allegedly struck the complainant with a closed fist, according to police. Mr. Johnson then reportedly took out a pocket knife. The complainant allegedly suffered a laceration to his left hand between his thumb and index finger while trying to defend himself from the knife, according to police.
Deep Dive: DUI
Police arrested James L. Wilson, 41, University Park, and charged him with DUI and no lights when required.
According to police, an officer patrolling at 11:34 PM saw a black Jeep heading westbound on Tamarack Street without lights on. The officer activated the emergency lights on his vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. James L. Wilson was driving the car.
While speaking with Mr. Wilson, the officer observed that Mr. Wilson’s speech was slow and slurred. He had an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, according to police. According to the report. Mr. Wilson also had glassy and bloodshot eyes.
The officer asked Mr. Wilson to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and he agreed, according to police.
Upon completing the tests, the officer told Mr. Wilson he was arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the police department, Mr. Wilson attempted to provide a breath sample but was unsuccessful, according to police.
Deep Dive: DUI – BAC Over 0.08
Police arrested Kaprice T. Green, 32, Park Forest, on March 10 and charged her with DUI, DUI with a BAC over .08, and driving while license was suspended.
Police: Driver and Passenger Are Asleep in the Car
Police responded to Apache Street at 10:12 AM to investigate a report of a slumped driver. According to police, a responding officer saw a white 2004 Mazda Tribute blocking the roadway.
Officers found Kaprice T. Green asleep in the driver’s seat, according to police. The car’s engine was running. A front-seat passenger was also sleeping, according to police.
An officer woke Ms. Green, who took a long time to understand the police and had difficulty rolling down her window, according to the report. When she did roll down the window, the officer noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle.
Police: The driver didn’t know where she was.
Ms. Green told the officer that she and her passenger were relaxing and drinking at the passenger’s home but only had a shot or two, according to police. According to police, she did not know what time it was or where she was located. She only knew that she was in Park Forest, according to police.
According to police, Ms. Green told them she had driven to that location but would not say where she was going.
Police: The driver couldn’t find her license. It was in her hand.
The officer noted in the report that Ms. Green allegedly had glassy eyes, slurred speech, and “was having a hard time concentrating on what officers were asking her.” According to police, Ms. Green also had difficulty finding her driver’s license, even though it was in her hand at the time.
Police found out from SouthCom Dispatch that Ms. Green’s driver’s license was suspended.
“I won’t do any tests.”
Police asked Ms. Green to perform a Standardized Field Sobriety Test. According to the police, she told officers, “I don’t want to do any test, and I won’t do any tests.”
Police arrested Ms. Green on suspicion of DUI and put her in handcuffs. Police called Coy’s Towing, which towed her vehicle from the scene per village ordinance.
Driver Agrees to Tests at PFPD
At the Park Forest Police Department, the arresting officer again asked Ms. Green to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which she complied with. After the tests, Ms. Green consented to a breathalyzer test. The test showed a BAC of 0.299, more than three times the legal limit, according to police.
Deep Dive: DUI – DRUGS
Police arrested Patrick G. Sago, 30, Chicago, on March 10 and charged him with DUI drugs, possession of cannabis, improper lane usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was on patrol at 10:30 PM during an impaired driver campaign sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation. According to police, the officer saw a dark-colored 2015 Ford Fusion heading eastbound on Sauk Trail in the median lane.
The officer, also heading eastbound on Sauk Trail from Orchard Drive, saw the Ford Fusion allegedly weave within the lane of traffic, crossing the center lane line while traveling five mph below the posted 35 mph speed limit, according to police.
The officer followed the Fusion and saw it crossed the center lane line again, according to police.
Officer Curbs Vehicle
According to police, the vehicle entered a curb lane and rested after the officer activated his squad’s emergency lights. The officer approached the driver’s side of the car as he saw the rear passenger’s window on the driver’s side begin to roll down. The driver apologized once he realized he had rolled down the wrong window.
The officer told the driver why he stopped him when the driver began speaking with someone on his cell phone. According to the report, the officer “immediately detected the odor of burnt and fresh cannabis emanating from the vehicle.” The officer also saw a mylar-style Ziploc bag commonly used to package cannabis that was in plain view on the center console, according to police.
Driver Provides Driver’s License and Expired Insurance
The driver provided his Illinois driver’s license, identifying him as Patrick G. Sago.
According to police, Mr. Sago then consumed a lot of water from a clear plastic water bottle. The officer saw that Mr. Sago’s eyes were bloodshot, according to the report. When the officer asked Mr. Sago to provide his insurance, he eventually produced an expired insurance policy for the vehicle.
The officer asked Mr. Sago to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which he agreed to. After the tests, the officer advised him that he was arresting him.
Police: Driver Thinks He’s in Indiana
According to the report, Mr. Sago believed he was in Indiana and realized that he was on parole, according to police. A female passenger also exited the vehicle, and police gave her a ride to the Park Forest Police Department, according to the report.
Officers had Coy’s Towing secure and towed the vehicle Mr. Sago drove.
At 11:41 PM, Mr. Sago submitted to a breath test with a result of .000 BAC. Police advised Mr. Sago that the subsequent testing would occur at the hospital, where medical personnel would drop blood. Mr. Sago allegedly consented to this.
The doctor asks to speak with the driver alone.
At the hospital, however, doctors could not draw blood within a reasonable period. The report said they were “dispositioning the rest” of their patients while reviewing hospital policy and Mr. Sago’s classification.
At 12:35 AM, a nurse entered the room where the officer and Mr. Sago were. The officer told the nurse that Mr. Sago consented to a DUI blood draw, and the nurse then left the room. At 12:58 AM, the officer pressed the nurse call button, and the staff entered the room. The nurse returned and said the doctor wanted to speak with Mr. Sago alone.
The officer called the Cook County State Attorney’s Office and apprised them of the situation. The CCSAO had no issues allowing the doctor to speak with Mr. Sago alone. At 1:42 AM, a doctor told the officer they would not be drawing blood, according to police.
Suspended Driver’s License
Police charged Michael A. Nixon, Chicago, with driving while his Illinois driver’s license was suspended on March 11. Police patrolling the area of Hemlock Street and McGarity Road received a law enforcement license plate reader alert of a stolen vehicle, a black Ford F150. According to police, the plate had been captured near Indianwood Boulevard and Western Avenue. Police saw the Ford leaving the parking lot of Court H-6 at 1:28 PM. They found Michael Nixon driving the vehicle and learned that his Illinois driver’s license had been suspended.
Police Call Vehicle’s Owner
Police learned Mr. Nixon borrowed the Ford from a friend. The Ford was registered in his friend’s sister’s name, according to police. Mr. Nixon said his friend agreed to sell him the Ford. Police contacted the owner. She said her brother might have decided to sell the Ford to Mr. Nixon, but she had no knowledge of that deal. Police told her she could pick up the Ford at the Park Forest Police Department. They gave Mr. Nixon the citation and provided a Citation and Release form to him with a mandatory court appearance on April 17, 2024, at the Markham Courthouse, 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.
