Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A woman faces a felony retail theft charge after allegedly driving off with almost $350 worth of merchandise from a Park Forest business. Police also charged the Matteson woman with possession of drug paraphernalia.
That and other reports follow.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning December 12, 2024
Felony Retail Theft
Police arrested Kiera L. Caldwell, 25, of the 5000 block of Gibson St., Matteson, on December 12 and charged her with one felony count of retail theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police responded to a business in the first block of Main Street at 9:41 AM to investigate a report of retail theft that just occurred. SouthCom Dispatch told police a woman had reportedly left the store with over $200 worth of merchandise without paying. She put the items in a black Kia Optima and went westbound on Main Street.
A store manager exited the business, took a photograph of the suspect’s license plate, and subsequently called 911. She showed the police the photo she had taken of the Kia and the store’s surveillance footage.
Another officer advised via portable radio that he located the vehicle and the subject, identified as Kiera L. Caldwell, at Sauk Trail. According to police, the 26 items Ms. Caldwell allegedly stole had a value of $346.56.
Battery
Police arrested Cheyenne V. Gardner, 28, of the 19400 block of Glenwood Rd., Chicago Heights, on December 13 and issued her a municipal ticket charging battery. Officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of Juniper Street to investigate a disturbance report at 5:51 PM. The complainant alleged that Cheyenne V. Gardner kicked her three times in the right leg, according to police.
DUI, BAC Over 0.08
Police arrested Chantae Foster, 26, of the 8500 block of South Dante Ave., Chicago, on December 14 and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol, BAC over 0.08, and improper stopping or standing on a crosswalk.
Police responded at 4:32 AM to investigate a report of a slumped driver at the intersection of Westgate Drive and Wildwood Drive. Officers found a white Buick running and stopped at the stop sign. According to police, the vehicle was in the incorrect lane of traffic and facing oncoming traffic.
Officers found the driver, later identified as Chantae Foster, asleep in the driver’s seat. One officer knocked on the driver’s side door and unsuccessfully attempted to wake Ms. Foster. That officer opened the driver’s door and immediately observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the car.
According to the report, it took police approximately five minutes of shaking and talking to make Ms. Foster “semi-coherent. ” Officers explained to her that she was in the intersection facing oncoming traffic. Ms. Foster allegedly said, “Okay,” and attempted to go back to sleep.
After administering Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, police arrested Ms. Foster on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Later, at the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Foster consented to a breathalyzer test. This yielded a BAC of 0.093, according to police.
Fugitive from Justice
Police arrested Kolawole M. Aina, of the 19200 block of Summer Island Way, Richmond, Texas, on December 14 and charged him with fugitive from justice.
An officer saw a blue Subaru allegedly fail to signal at 5:47 PM in the area of Sauk Trail and Western Avenue. The officer learned that the car’s registration was suspended on a mandatory insurance violation, police said.
The officer stopped the vehicle on Western Avenue and Chestnut Street. The driver and sole occupant of the car, Kolawole M. Aina, provided his driver’s license. According to police, SouthCom Dispatch advised the officer that Mr. Aina had an extraditable out-of-state warrant.
Vermillion County Warrant
Police arrested Jimmie L. Lyons, 20, of the 100 block of Warwick St., Park Forest, on December 14 and issued him citations for failure to yield to a traffic control signal, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, driving without a valid license (never issued), and failure to secure a new registration. According to the report, police also processed him on a failure to appear warrant out of Vermillion County.
According to police, an officer was heading west on Sauk Trail when he saw a white Lincoln with no rear registration allegedly traveling through a red light at the intersection of Sauk Trail and Main Street. The police said Mr. Lyons was the driver of the car.
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.
According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. 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.
