Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

First of a Week of DUI Charges in Park Forest


Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Mid-February in Park Forest was a busy one for DUI charges. Police charged four individuals with a DUI the week of Feb. 7 through Feb. 13. According to police, officers had no special areas set up to stop impaired drivers.

“I wish I could say we had a DUI detail but unfortunately we did not,” Deputy Chief John DeCeault told eNews Park Forest. The chief himself expressed his surprise as to how many “impaired drivers” were on the road that week. “Great job by our midnight shift who worked over the weekend,” he said.

After one incident where a South Holland woman found herself charged with assault, we will begin reports on the four DUI charges for that week.

Assault

Police arrested Tynisha Dozier, 40, 16451 Kenwood Ave., South Holland, on February 8 and charged her with one count of assault after police responded to an address on Grant Street on a domestic call. The complainant alleged that Tynisha Dozier was on her way to his house in an unknown rental vehicle “to kill him,” according to police. He said he had not had direct contact with Ms. Dozier for about three years. At one point, he said he had an order of protection against her but was unsure if it was still active, according to police.

First of February DUI Charges

Sophia G. Lane, first of DUI charges
Sophia G. Lane (PFPD)

Police arrested Sophia G. Lane, 25, 1319 Jeffery Dr., Homewood, on February 11 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license, obstructing identification, speeding, improper lane usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

An officer patrolling at 12:18 AM on February 11 saw a vehicle turn north onto Western Avenue from Indianwood Boulevard. The vehicle allegedly took a wide turn and cross the center lane line, according to police. The car then weaved back into the lane and began to travel north in front of the officer’s vehicle, according to police.

Then, the car quickly accelerated and allegedly began to travel at 55 mph in the 35 mph zone, according to police.

As the car passed Dogwood Street, it allegedly weaved again and crossed the center lane line, according to police. The officer reports having difficulty staying with the vehicle. He had to drive at 63 mph to catch up with it, according to the report.

When the car crossed the railroad tracks just north of 26th Street, it began to straddle the center lane line, according to police.

Officer Curbs the Vehicle

The officer activated his squad vehicle’s emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. The officer saw the brake lights of the vehicle illuminate, the vehicle slowed down a bit, and then continued to travel north, according to police. The car traveled a short distance and turned into the parking lot of the gas station at 1719 Western Avenue, Chicago Heights.

The officer approached the car and spoke with the driver, later identified as Sophia G. Lane, according to police. There was a passenger in the car too, according to the report.

As soon as he made contact with the driver, the officer noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the car, according to the report.

Ms. Lane told the officer that she did not have her driver’s license on her but did have proof of insurance, according to police.

The officer told Ms. Lane the reason for the stop and asked where she was coming from, according to the police. Ms. Lane allegedly responded, “3444,” and did not provide a street until prompted, according to police. The officer noted a “distinct slur” in Ms. Lane’s speech, according to the report.

Driver Has No License

Since she did not have a driver’s license, the officer asked for her name and date of birth. Ms. Lane allegedly gave the officer an inaccurate name and date of birth, according to police. She slowly shuffled through a large stack of papers in an attempt to find the vehicle’s insurance card, according to police.

Eventually, Ms. Lane produced a vehicle registration card. She tried to give that to the officer. The officer reminded her that he asked for the vehicle’s insurance card, according to the police. The officer asked what Ms. Lane was getting from the gas station. The front seat passenger said they were getting milk, according to police. Ms. Lane corrected the passenger saying the store doesn’t sell milk. She said they were actually getting “blunts,” according to police.

The officer asked Ms. Lane how many alcoholic drinks she had consumed. Ms. Lane responded and said she was fine, according to the police. The officer asked again and Ms. Lane allegedly replied, “A little earlier. I’m okay,” according to police. The passenger then said that Ms. Lane consumed alcohol but not liquor, according to police.

Ms. Lane did not tell the officer how much she had consumed, according to police. As she spoke with the officer, Ms. Lane began a phone call. She told the caller that police would likely arrest her, according to police.

Officer Administers SFSTs

The officer asked that Ms. Lane exit the vehicle. She did not immediately get out of the car, police said. The officer had to tell her a number of times to exit the car, according to police.

Finally, Ms. Lane complied and got out of the car.

Immediately after exiting the vehicle, Ms. Lane allegedly “blurted out that she had lied about her identity,” according to the report. She then said that her true name was Sophia G. Lane, according to police. The officer checked state records and found that Ms. Lane’s driving privileges were currently suspended, according to police.

Ms. Lane agreed to perform Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs). After the tests, the officer arrested Ms. Lane. She refused a breathalyzer test at the police station, 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.

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.


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