Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports include arrests through February 25, 2019. Charges for those arrested include domestic battery, driving while license was suspended, obstructing identification, and driving on a revoked license. Also, a wanted poster created by an officer led to an arrest.
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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.
Domestic Battery
Michael C. Matthews III, 37, 350 Juniper St., Park Forest, was arrested on February 19 and charged with domestic battery after an officer was summoned to the Park Forest Police Department to investigate a report of domestic battery.
The complainant told police that on February 18 at approximately 3 AM she observed Mr. Matthews pacing back and forth, that he was upset about how high the phone bill was. She told him to calm down in the phone bill would get paid. She said she asked Mr. Matthews to lay down and relax. After he did so, she stated that she also laid down and closed her eyes.
Moments later, she felt a hard strike on the top of her head. When she opened her eyes, she said that Mr. Matthews was on top of her allegedly striking her several times on her head and her face with both of his closed fists, according to police. After Mr. Matthews stop striking her, the complainant said she got out of her bed and started crying. She said she did not notify police right away because her cell phone was not charged and she had no other way to contact the police.
On February 19, her sister transported her to St. James Hospital to have her injuries treated. According to the report, the complainant sustained an eye contusion, head injury, and bruising on her right arm. Upon her release from the hospital, she went to the police station.
For his part, Mr. Matthews told police that his mother recently died and that he had been very distraught, according to the report. He said he had been going through a lot since his mother passed and allegedly said he finally “snapped,” according to police.
Mr. Matthews said that he blacked out and did not recall what happened the night of the incident, according to police.
Mr. Matthews was charged with domestic battery and was scheduled for a bond hearing at the Markham Courthouse on February 20th, 2019.
Domestic Battery
Dennis J. Thompson, 27, 157 Algonquin St., Park Forest, was arrested on February 19 and charged with domestic battery and one count of unlawful interference with the reporting of domestic battery when police were dispatched to the 100
When police arrived, they entered the residence and saw a man, later identified as Dennis Thompson, sitting on the couch packing a suitcase. One officer noticed multiple drops of blood on the wooden living room floor near the entrance to the kitchen. There were also several long strands of hair and a hair lying next to the drops of blood on the floor, according to police.
Mr. Thompson told police that he and the complainant had been arguing over the tax refund money that is due soon. The argument continued at which time the complainant, according to Mr. Thompson, began to throw objects around the house and then allegedly slapped him in the face, according to the report. The complainant picked up her cell phone and dialed 911 and told dispatchers that he had hit her, according to the report.
Mr. Thompson was upset, saying that the complainant had lied to the dispatchers and allegedly grabbed her cell phone and attempted to take it away from her. They began to wrestle over the cell phone at which time they both fell to the ground on the living room floor, according to police. When they both fell to the ground, the complainant struck her head on the ground and it began to bleed, according to the report.
The complainant then left the residence and gone next-door.
Police arrested Mr. Thompson and charged him with one count of domestic battery and one count of unlawful interference with the reporting of domestic battery. He was processed and placed into a holding cell pending transport to the Markham Courthouse for a bond hearing, according to police.
Driving While License Suspended
Brian L. Johnson, 36, 556 Minette Lane, Chicago Heights, was arrested on February 20 and charged with possession of a controlled substance and driving while license was suspended.
An officer was monitoring traffic at the intersection of Elm Street and Western Avenue when he saw a vehicle turned west on Elm Street, passing in front of his squad vehicle. According to the report, the officer had a clear and unobstructed view of the driver, observing him to be an older male with black hair.
The officer conducted an in-car computer search and learned that the vehicle was registered to Brian L. Johnson. The inquiry also related that Mr. Johnson’s driving privileges were currently suspended.
The descriptors on Mr. Johnson’s driver’s license listed him as a man in his mid-30s with black hair. The officer conducted a U-turn, caught up to the vehicle, curbing the vehicle in the parking lot of Court E-6, just off Elm Street.
The officer confirmed that the driver was Mr. Johnson who provided the officer with an Illinois identification card and valid proof of insurance. The officer confirmed through SouthCom Dispatch that Mr. Johnson’s driving privileges were currently suspended.
Mr. Johnson related that he had a court date the following morning, February 21, 2019, regarding his license and further related that he was aware his driving privileges were suspended, according to police.
The officer placed Mr. Johnson in handcuffs. Mr. Johnson’s vehicle was towed from the scene and seized per local ordinance.
While searching Mr. Johnson the officer discovered a plastic bag that contained a green leafy substance,
Wanted Poster: Violating an Order of Protection
An officer responded to the 100
The officer created a wanted poster for Mr. Thompson. The complainant stated she was willing to pursue charges against Mr. Thompson.
On February 21 at approximately 11:37 AM, SouthCom Dispatch notified a different officer of a call on hold that was in regards to a complaint about a violation of protection at 157 Algonquin Street. That officer had knowledge of the wanted flyer that had been disseminated the day before naming Dennis Thompson as the person suspected of violating an order of protection.
SouthCom Dispatch informed the officer that Mr. Thompson had called requesting an escort to 157 Algonquin Street to retrieve personal property. He was waiting for officers at a residence in the 200
Police responded to that address on Ash Street.
While they were on their way, SouthCom Dispatch conducted a database search and informed officers that Mr. Thompson had been served the order of protection on February 20, 2019, in court. There was no expiration date listed on the order of protection, according to police. The order of protection further “commanded that Thompson have no contact” with the complainant by any means, including by phone, according to the report.
When officers arrived at the residence on Ash Street, Mr. Thompson identified himself. The officer asked if Mr. Thompson had called the complainant. At first, he said he had not but then allegedly stated, “I texted her,” according to the report.
The officer informed Mr. Thompson that he was under arrest on suspicion of violating an order of protection. Mr. Thompson was charged with violation of an order of protection and held awaiting transportation to the Cook County Courthouse for a bond hearing, according to police.
Driving on a Revoked License, Warrant
Charles C. Jackson, 46, 2149 135th Pl., Blue Island, was arrested on February 24 during a traffic stop and charged with driving on a revoked license, disobeying a traffic control device, speeding above the posted limit, obstructing identification, and processed on a warrant out of the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.
While stopped in the left-hand turn lane on Indianwood Boulevard waiting to turn westbound onto Sauk Trail, an officer observed a gold 2008 Lexus RX350 traveling westbound on Sauk Trail.
The officer saw the traffic signal turned red and the vehicle traveling westbound allegedly disregarded the traffic signal and continue to travel westbound through the intersection on a solid red light, according to police.
The officer began traveling westbound and observed the vehicle to be speeding, according to police. The officer saw that his patrol speed was 60 miles per hour in the posted 35 miles per hour zone and that his squad car was not closing or losing distance with the gold vehicle, according to the report.
The officer activated emergency lights in his squad car and curbed the vehicle in the 300
The officer met with the driver, later learned to be Charles Jackson, and requested that Mr. Jackson provide his driver’s license and insurance card. Mr. Jackson told the officer that he did not have a driver’s license but did provide a valid insurance card.
The officer told Mr. Jackson that he had been stopped because of the red light. Mr. Jackson said that he thought the light was yellow, otherwise he would have stopped.
The officer asked Mr. Jackson his name and Mr. Jackson allegedly said that his name was Antoine Allen. The officer checked a law enforcement database and found that there was no record on file for anyone by that name. The officer asked Mr. Jackson his middle initial and he said his middle initial was “D”. After a database inquiry, the officer discovered that Mr. Allen’s driver’s license had expired in October 2018.
The officer requested that Mr. Jackson follow him back to the Park Forest Police Department to post a cash bond. While at the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Jackson told the officer that Mr. Allen was a relative of his. Mr. Jackson further advised that he allegedly provided a false name because he wanted to make it to church on time and he would take care of the citation later.
Mr. Jackson then provided the officer with his real identity at which time the officer learned that Mr. Jackson not only had a revoked license but also had a warrant through the Cook County Sheriff’s Police department. At this point, the officer advised Mr. Jackson that he was under arrest Mr. Jackson was later charged and issued a court date of March 20 at the Markham Courthouse.
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