BAC .12: Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through December 31, 2018

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Editor’s Note: “This is the end,” The Doors once sung. The end of the previous calendar year. These police reports bring us through December 31, 2018. Charges for those cited during this period include possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of cannabis, domestic battery, disorderly conduct, and a DUI with a BAC of .12.

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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.

Possession of Cannabis & Drug Paraphernalia

Jonathan H. Cannon, 33, 22614 Claredon Ave., Richton Park, was issued a municipal citations on December 27 charging possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia when officers on patrol observed a white Nissan Maxima parked with its lights off in the 100 block of Shabbona Drive.

It was 7:58 PM and officers saw that there were two occupants inside the vehicle. Due to a recent rise in criminal complaints in the area, specifically a robbery and several criminal damage to properties reports, officers retrieved the vehicle’s registration information and found that it was not from the area.

Officers then spoke to the driver and the front seat passenger, later identified as Jonathon Cannon. Mr. Cannon told officers that they were not from the area but were waiting for Mr. Cannon’s sister. Officers could smell a strong odor of fresh cannabis emanating from the vehicle. One of the officers asked Mr. Cannon if there was any contraband in the vehicle to which he allegedly said yes and retrieved a small plastic baggie containing a green leafy substance which later field-tested positive for the presumptive presence of cannabis.

Officers asked Mr. Cannon to step out of the vehicle for a search and “he became immediately upset,” according to police. A search of Mr. Cannon yielded negative results.

Police searched the vehicle and located several plastic baggies each containing a green leafy substance which field-tested positive for the presumptive presence of cannabis. An officer also located in the middle console three “bowls,” devices commonly used to ingest cannabis, according to police. When asked, Mr. Cannon said that the items belong to him and him alone, according to police. The vehicle was towed and seized under local ordinance.

There were no arrests.

Domestic Battery

Shauntay D. Dillingham, 36, 23453 Western Ave., Park Forest, was arrested on December 28 and charged with one count of domestic battery after police were dispatched to the 23400 block of South Western Avenue to investigate a report of domestic battery.

According to police, Ms. Dillingham returned home from a night out with her boyfriend. She began arguing with a man living at the residence, according to police. This man became angry at Dillingham because she had come home late, according to police. Ms. Dillingham claimed that the man punched her in the face. At this point, Ms. Dillingham allegedly began scratching and punching the man in his face, according to police.

Police discovered lacerations on the inside of the man’s cheek and that his mouth was bleeding. Ms. Dillingham was taken into custody and transported to the Park Forest Police Department, charged with one count of domestic battery, and later transported to the Will County Adult Correctional Facility awaiting a bond hearing, according to police.

Disorderly Conduct: Alcohol-Related

Stacy S. Harris, 48, 3500 Western Ave., Park Forest, was issued a municipal citation on December 29 charging disorderly conduct after police responded to the 3500 block of Western Avenue to investigate a report of a disturbance.

Upon arrival, an officer observed a subject, later identified as Stacy Harris, standing in the grassy common area southeast of 3500 block of Western Avenue. According to police, Mr. Harris said that he has lived there for approximately two years and has been getting “consistently disturbed by his neighbors.” According to police, Mr. Harris was visibly upset, yelling, and “flailing his arms as he spoke” to an officer.

The officer requested that Mr. Harris relax and stop raising his voice. Mr. Harris would briefly comply before ultimately continuing to yell, according to police. Mr. Harris refused to explain or elaborate on how his neighbors were disturbing him, according to police.

The report notes that Mr. Harris had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person and his breath.

Police spoke with a neighbor who said that Mr. Harris began to stomp his feet around his unit, causing loud bangs throughout the neighbor’s residence, and play music at a sound level that was easily audible through the walls, according to police. Mr. Harris then began allegedly shouting obscenities and threats about killing people, according to the report.

The neighbor began to hear a loud knock on her back door and realized that Mr. Harris was allegedly kicking her back door, according to police. The neighbor immediately called 911 to report the incident.

During the incident, Mr. Harris allegedly made several statements about calling his mother. Due to Mr. Harris’ behavior, the officer obtained Mr. Harris’ mother’s telephone number and later contacted her to inquire about his mental health.

The officer learned that Mr. Harris is an alcoholic but has no known mental health issues.

Mr. Harris was also cognizant of current events and able to recite the date and time, according to police. Mr. Harris was subsequently issued a municipal citation charging disorderly conduct with a mandatory court appearance of January 17, 2019, at the Park Forest Police Department. Mr. Harris entered his residence prior to receiving a copy of the citation then allegedly refused to answer the door so the citation was affixed to his front door.

There was no arrest.

DUI: BAC .12

Lolita Alderson-Johnson, 47, 289 Westwood Dr., Park Forest, was arrested on December 29 and charged with DUI – alcohol, DUI – alcohol over .08, no proof of insurance, failure to signal, improper turn, and improper lane usage.

At approximately 8:12 PM, an officer observed a white Toyota Corolla with a broken tail light. The Corolla allegedly conducted an improper turn from southbound Westwood Drive onto eastbound Sauk Trail, crossing over the curbside lane two times, according to police. The vehicle then failed to signal a right turn onto Western Avenue from Sauk Trail and again conducted an improper turn by finishing the turn in the far left lane, according to police.

The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted to curb the vehicle at Western Avenue and Monee Road. The vehicle continued southbound then stopped in the far right lane prior to the light at Steger Road and Western Avenue, according to police.

The vehicle then pulled away only to stop again in the intersection of Steger Road and Western Avenue. The vehicle then reversed into traffic before the officer yelled at the driver to stop the vehicle.

The vehicle ultimately stopped several seconds later prior to the intersection of Western Avenue and Steger Road where it originally stopped.

From the time the officer originally activated his lights until the vehicle came to a complete stop was a total of 65 seconds, according to police.

The officer spoke with the driver and sole occupant, later identified as Lolita Alderson-Johnson. The officer could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath. Alderson-johnson related that she had just come home and had one beer several hours ago prior to driving. According to police, she had bloodshot glassy eyes and slurred her words as she spoke. She was unable to provide a valid insurance card, according to police. The officer asked her to step out of the vehicle to conduct Standard Field Sobriety Tests. Ms. Alderson-Johnson complied.

The tests were captured on audio and video from the squad vehicle. After displaying clear indications of intoxication during the SFSTs, according to the report, Ms. Alderson-Johnson was placed in handcuffs and transported to the Park Forest Police Department.

Her vehicle was seized under local ordinance. The arresting officer administered a breath test which indicated her Blood Alcohol Content to be .12, according to police. She was later issued an I-Bond, given copies of the Warning to Motorist, signed a sworn report, tow sheet, breath test receipt, and given a ride to her residence.