Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Barroom Brawl Nets Man Resisting Charges

Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A Park Forest man is dealing with two charges of resisting after a barroom brawl spilled out into a parking lot on Orchard Drive. It was 1 AM when an officer saw patrons of a village tavern fighting outside the bar. A security man working for the establishment tried to break up the brawl by dusting the crowd with OC spray, ak.a. oleoresin capsicum, or pepper spray.

Proud member of LION Publishers

Earlier the same week, police charged a Matteson man with DUI. Also, a man who came to the PFPD to report fraud on a bank account found himself in lockup when police discovered he had an outstanding warrant.

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning November 13, 2024

DUI

Police arrested Terry L. McGroom Jr., 33, of the 200 block of Timber Lane Rd., Matteson, on November 13 and charged him with DUI, DUI with a BAC over 0.08, illegal transportation of alcohol, and no rear registration light.

An officer patrolling at 1:21 AM was heading westbound on Oswego Street when he saw a dark-colored sedan, later identified as a black 2007 Chevrolet Impala, turn right or north onto Indianwood from Oswego. According to police, the car did not have a functioning rear registration light.

Police: Car Swerves

The officer began driving behind the Chevrolet and saw it had stopped at a red signal on Indianwood Boulevard at Sauk Trail in the left turn lane. When the traffic light turned green, the Chevy did not move but remained in the lane for about 10 seconds, police said. The officer pulled up behind the Chevrolet, and it turned left onto Sauk Trail into the right lane and not the left lane, according to police.

As the officer continued following the car, he observed that it allegedly swerved within the right-hand lane multiple times, police said. The officer activated the emergency lights of his squad and initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle on Sauk Trail east of Lakewood Boulevard. The Chevrolet stopped in the right lane and then suddenly made a left turn south across to other westbound lanes and drove southbound into the northbound lane on Blackhawk Drive. The car then turned into the Shell Gas Station in the 300 block of Sauk Trail and parked near pump two.

Another officer arrived to assist.

Officer Suspects DUI

Terry L. McGroom
Terry L. McGroom. (Photo: PFPD)

The officer who curbed the car approached the driver’s door window and spoke to the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Terry L McGroom Jr. When the officer told him the reason for the stop, Mr. McGroom said he did not think he was swerving within the lane.

While speaking with Mr. McGroom, the officer saw an open can of Bud Ice beer in the cup holder of the middle console. Mr. McGroom told the officer he had just cracked the can open. He said he had just dropped a friend off from their birthday party, where he was trying to have a good time. He provided proof of insurance on his phone.

According to police, Mr. McGroom was stumbling over his words and had slurred speech. He also allegedly had watery and glassy eyes, and the officer could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath.

The officer told Mr. McGroom that he wanted to check a few things to make sure he was okay to drive since he saw some signs of alcohol intoxication. Mr. McGroom replied that he respected that. He exited the car, and the officer took him through Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests, the officer told Mr. McGroom he was arresting him on suspicion of DUI. Later, at 5:05 AM, the officer administered a breathalyzer test, which showed McGroom to have a BAC of 0.11, police said.

Warrant

Police arrested John E. Hoskins, 43, of the 300 block of Minocqua St., Park Forest, on November 15 and processed him on a warrant from McDonough County alleging failure to appear. This was after Mr. Hoskins went to the station to register a complaint about credit card fraud he discovered on his account.

The responding officer gave him advice and then checked his information through LEADS. After doing so, the officer discovered the warrant.

Barroom Brawl: Two Counts Resisting

Police arrested Geomere E. Jenkins, 22, of the 1900 block of 221st St., Sauk Village, on November 17 and charged him with two counts of resisting.

An officer observed a physical disturbance at 1 AM at the entrance of Stacy’s Bistro located at 90 S. Orchard Dr. in Park Forest. The officer immediately notified SouthCom Dispatch of the barroom brawl. Five other officers responded to the scene immediately.

Several patrons were fighting, according to police. During the altercation, a security staff member of the business deployed OC Spray into the crowd to stop the disturbance. As he did so, several patrons exited the tavern for the parking lot.

Barroom Brawl Continues Outside

While outside, several patrons allegedly continued to cause a disturbance, police said. Multiple patrons were fighting, according to the report. Police gave various commands for all subjects to vacate the premises.

As officers instructed the numerous people, the police said one man didn’t want to stop. Geomere E. Jenkins allegedly disregarded all verbal commands and tried to fight another man, police said. As two officers attempted to restrain Mr. Jenkins, he reportedly resisted all efforts of restraint physically. This resulted in police placing him in custody and arresting him.

Several patrons told police they were sprayed in the face with the OC Spray, but none requested medical attention, 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.

Most read stories this week

Take a Survey

ARCHIVES