Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Editor’s Note: These Park Forest Police blotter reports cover arrest incidents through July 16, 2018. A man twice-deported to Mexico as a convicted felon was arrested by Park Forest Police and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Charges in other arrests included DUI, retail theft, domestic battery, and driving while license was suspended.
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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 entail 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.
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.
Police Turn Convicted Felon Over to ICE
Luis E. Hernandez-Contrerez, 32, 336 W. 16th St., Chicago Heights, was arrested on July 11 and charged with operation of an uninsured motor vehicle, no valid driver’s license, and no valid registration after an officer observed a truck traveling southbound on Westwood Drive from Willow Street hauling a trailer that had no mounted registration, according to police.
The officer curbed the vehicle just south of Westwood Drive and Westgate Drive. The officer spoke with the driver, later identified as Luis E. Hernandez-Contrerez. The officer asked to see Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez’s driver’s license and proof of insurance. Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez responded that he could not provide either as he was not a US citizen, according to police. Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez provided the officer with the name “Carlos Martinez” and provided a birth date.
The officer conducted a LEADS inquiry which yielded no record on file.
The officer informed Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez that he was under arrest under suspicion of driving without a valid driver’s license.
An additional inquiry on the trailer’s VIN yielded no record on file in the United States.
Due to Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez having no type of identification on his person, the officer ran a fingerprint inquiry which showed that Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez had already been twice deported to Mexico as a convicted felon, according to police. The arresting officer called the Department of Homeland Security in Chicago and spoke with an immigration officer. The immigration officer was apprised of the circumstances and stated that an officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would respond to the Park Forest Police Department to take custody of Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez.
Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez was subsequently charged, released on an I-Bond from Park Forest custody, and assigned a court date of August 7 at the Markham Courthouse. Mr. Hernandez-Contrerez was then turned over to the officer from ICE.
No Arrest: Possession of Cannabis
Diamond A. Waites, 20, 2300 Holiday Court, Lansing, was issued a municipal citation on July 11 charging possession of cannabis after an officer observed a vehicle parked in a secluded area of the parking lot on the west side of Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive, at 12:09 AM. Ms. Waites was a passenger in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed from the scene and impounded.
Retail Theft
Tyree D. Jackson, 20, 190 Washington St., Park Forest, was arrested on July 13 and charged with retail theft after police were dispatched to a business in the 400 block of Sauk Trail at 3:05 AM in reference to a report of a retail theft.
According to police, Mr. Jackson allegedly concealed several bags of pistachios in his pocket and left the store without paying for them, according to police. Mr. Jackson was with two other people, according to police. All three subjects were banned from the store, according to police.
A Pursuit of a Suspect with IL State Police Warrant
An officer was traveling west on Blair Street from Gettysburg Street on July 13 at 2:54 PM when he observed a person he recognized as having a warrant from the Illinois State Police on a charge of fleeing and eluding. The officer was also aware that the individual’s driving privileges were suspended.
The officer executed a U-turn on Jackson Street and observed the vehicle exit a driveway in the 500 block of Blair Street. The officer positioned his squad behind the vehicle, noting that the vehicle had expired registration. The officer activated the emergency lights on his vehicle but the car he was following did not slow down or stop.
The officer pursued the car and activated the squad’s emergency siren. That vehicle drove around another car stopped at the stop sign at Indiana Street and Lincoln Highway, disobeying the stop sign, turning left to travel west on Lincoln Highway. The vehicle entered the left turn lane as it approached Crawford Avenue, then abruptly swerved into the westbound lane of Lincoln Highway without activating a turn signal, according to police.
The officer terminated the pursuit and notified SouthCom Dispatch of the vehicle’s last direction and travel. At Lincoln Highway and Kostner Avenue, Matteson police unsuccessfully attempted to stop the vehicle. The officer attached an add-on to the active Illinois State Police warrant and a warrant flyer was disseminated to alert personnel of the Park Forest Police Department.
Driving While License Was Suspended
Keshaun M. Harris, 25, 4095 Appleby Lane, Richton Park, was arrested and issued citations charging driving while license was suspended, no seatbelt, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle when an officer observed that a driver on Western Avenue near Dogwood Street was not wearing a seatbelt, according to police. Mr. Harris was also given a municipal citation charging possession of cannabis.
The officer initiated a traffic stop, curbing the vehicle on Western Avenue near Dogwood Street. The driver, Mr. Harris, allegedly told the officer that he did not have a drivers license or insurance card, that his driving privileges were currently suspended, according to police. While being placed in the rear of the arresting officer’s squad vehicle, Mr. Harris allegedly related that he stashed cannabis in the vehicle next to the driver’s seat, according to police. The officer recovered the cannabis and Mr. Harris’ vehicle was towed from the scene and impounded.
A passenger in the vehicle was released from the scene without charges.
Domestic Battery
Keyante D. McKinney, 28, 6336 S. Paulina St., Chicago, was arrested on July 14 and charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery after police were dispatched to the 400 block of Watseka Street to investigate a report of a domestic dispute.
According to police, while inside the kitchen/living room area of the residence, Mr. McKinney allegedly approached a woman and started yelling at her. She asked him to get away from her, however, he refused, according to police. Mr. McKinney then allegedly pushed the woman with both hands and held her up against a wall, according to police.
DUI
Cari L. Bleifield, 41, 3628 Linden Rd., Richton Park, was arrested on July 14 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood concentration more than 0.08, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with no valid driver’s license, failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and driving with no proof of insurance, when an officer was dispatched to Central Park Avenue and Sauk Trail to investigate a report of a traffic accident involving two vehicles.
The driver of one of the vehicles stated that her vehicle was struck by the car that Ms. Bleifield was driving, according to police. Police then spoke with Ms. Bleifield. The responding officer noticed that she had “glassy eyes and slurred speech,” according to police. Ms. Bleifield was slow to respond to the responding officer’s questions and staggered before she sat down on the ground, according to police.
Other officers responded to the scene to assist. Paramedics from the Park Forest fire Department responded to the scene and examined all three subjects: Ms. Bleifield, the driver of the second vehicle, and a passenger who was in the second vehicle.
The responding officer ran a check on Ms. Bleifield’s driver’s license and discovered that it had been expired since September 6, 2016.
Ms. Bleifield was placed under arrest under suspicion of driving with no valid driver’s license.
While in the processing room at the Park Forest Police Department, the arresting officer requested that Ms. Bleifield perform a Standardized Field Sobriety Test, to which she agreed, according to police. After administering the test, the officer began an observation period which concluded at 9:36 PM. At 9:40 PM, an officer administered a breathalyzer test on Ms. Bleifield which indicated that she had a breath alcohol content of 0.162, more than twice the legal limit, according to police.
Operation of an Uninsured Motor Vehicle
Richard L. Williams, 29, 1151 Williamsburg Rd., Country Club Hills, was arrested on July 16 and charged with failure to wear a seatbelt, operation of an uninsured motor vehicle, and driving while license was suspended when an officer observed that the driver of a vehicle traveling southbound on Shabbona Drive from Minocqua Street was not wearing a seatbelt, according to police.
The officer curbed the vehicle in the 300 block of Shabbona Drive just after 9:33 AM. Mr. Williams was the driver of the vehicle, according to police.
The officer detected a strong odor of fresh cannabis emanating from within the vehicle. Both Mr. Williams and a passenger in the vehicle were “sweating profusely,” according to police. The officer informed Mr. Williams of his suspicion and asked if either he or the passenger possessed a medical cannabis license, at which point Mr. Williams and the passenger laughed and replied that they did not, according to police.
The officer conducted a LEADS inquiry and learned that Mr. Williams’s license was currently suspended. Mr. Williams also had an active arrest warrant out of Will County on a charge of driving on a suspended license, according to police.
The officer searched Mr. Williams after placing him in handcuffs. The search yielded no contraband. Mr. Williams was secured in the rear of the officer’s patrol vehicle.
The officer searched the passenger and located a clear knotted plastic baggie containing a green leafy substance, suspect cannabis. The passenger was also taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle yielded the discovery of 23 additional clear plastic baggies containing a green leafy substance, suspect cannabis, located directly underneath the passenger’s seat. Police also found a digital scale containing cannabis residue on the surface of the scale.
The passenger was later released without charges pending further investigation, according to police.
