Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Felony Aggravated Driving While License Revoked: Police Reports Through April 23, 2018

Officers Jim Kessler and Chris Mannino, felony aggravated driving
Officer Jim Kessler and now-Police Chief Chris Mannino. (Photo: Gary Kopycinski)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Editor’s Note: These Park Forest Police blotter reports cover April 16 through April 23, 2018. Charges include someone charged as a fugitive from justice. Other charges include felony aggravated driving while license was revoked, DUIs, domestic battery, and  municipal citations charging possession of cannabis. We are working to provide more details in reports now that we offer subscriptions.

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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 acknowledgement by the public.

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.

Fugitive From Justice, Domestic Battery

Henry Eckles, 25, 266 Blackhawk Dr. Park Forest, was arrested on April 16 and charged with domestic battery, interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, and fugitive from justice.

Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Blackhawk Drive at 1:51 AM to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.

Upon arrival, police spoke with a woman who related that she got into an argument with Mr. Eckles. She stated that Mr. Eckles became upset with her about her not going to work and allegedly threw a juice bottle at her, striking her in the face. He then left the residence.

She texted him and told him not to return, but he returned a short time later, according to police. He was unable to get back into the house and went to the north side of the residence and allegedly broke the laundry room door window and made entry into the residence, according to police.

He grabbed the woman’s LG cell phone and allegedly threw it on the ground causing it to shatter and become inoperable, according to police. He then allegedly grabbed the woman by the hair and pulled her to the ground, pulling off her hair weaves as he did so, according to police. He then allegedly hit her on the face with an open hand multiple times, according to police.

She told police she was able to get away from Mr. Eckles, retreat to the bathroom, where she was able to call 911 from another cell phone, according to police.

Mr. Eckles was handcuffed and placed under arrest. While at the station, police ran Mr. Eckles’ name through LEADS and discovered that he had a valid parole violation warrant from the state of Georgia.

DUI with a BAC > 0.08

Kristine A. Anderson, 50, 207 E. Maple Dr., Glenwood, was arrested on April 18 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a BAC greater than 0.08, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, and improper lane usage.

An officer patrolling at 12:23 AM was notified that another officer was behind a possible intoxicated driver traveling north on Western Avenue toward 26th Street. The officer arrived and positioned his squad behind the suspect vehicle and immediately observed the vehicle swerved to the right and cross the fog line, according to police. Then the vehicle wove within its own lane, straddled the fog line, and ultimately crossed the fog line the second time, according to police.

The officer initiated a traffic stop.

The officer approached the driver’s side window and spoke with the driver, Ms. Anderson, who was the only occupant of the vehicle. The officer immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from inside the vehicle. The officer performed Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) to which the driver consented, according to police. After the tests, Ms. Anderson was placed under arrest on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. Her vehicle was towed and seized under local ordinance.

Ms. Anderson agreed to submit to a breath sample and police discovered that her BAC was 0.201, according to police.

Domestic Battery

Christopher J. Dean, 37, 324 S. Harper Ave., Glenwood, was arrested on April 19 and charged with domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence when police responded to the 2800 block of Western Avenue to investigate a report of a disturbance.

Police spoke with the initial 911 caller who related that she was standing in the rear of her residence when she heard a woman yelling for help. She saw a woman who she said appeared to be terrified running across the parking lot of Court B6 yelling for someone to call 911. A man, later identified as Christopher J. Dean, was allegedly chasing her, according to the report.

At one point, Mr. Dean allegedly grabbed the woman by the arm but she was able to pull away from him and continued to run.

The woman who had been running told police that she and Mr. Dean had been separated since December 2017 after an argument resulted in a domestic battery case. On the date of this report, Mr. Dean showed up unannounced and was immediately told to leave and not enter the residence. Mr. Dean allegedly ignored woman’s requests, allegedly grabbing her phone as she attempted to call police. Once inside the residence, Mr. Dean allegedly grabbed the woman by the hair and pushed her to the kitchen floor. She was able to quickly get up and run to the north door of the residence where she was able to exit and run to the parking lot.

Mr. Dean allegedly chased her, but stopped chasing her when he noticed the neighbor on her cell phone. Police advised Mr. Dean that he was under arrest on a domestic battery charge. Mr. Dean allegedly clenched his fists and flexed his arms while officers attempted to place handcuffs on him. Officers had to press Mr. Dean against the hood of the squad to eventually place the handcuffs on him.

Mr. Dean then allegedly laid on the ground and refused to enter the squad, according to police. Officers had to physically pick Mr. Dean up and placed him in the rear of the squad car, according to police. The arrest was captured on the audio of one squad car and the audio/visual of a second squad car, according to police.

Municipal Citations Charging Possession of Cannabis – No Arrest

A juvenile was issued two local ordinance municipal ticket citations on April 20 charging possession of cannabis and possession of paraphernalia when police responded to the 100 block of Nanti Street to investigate a report of suspicious subjects in a vehicle. The juvenile and three other juveniles in the vehicle were all released to their guardians from the scene.

Speeding, Possession of Cannabis – No Arrest

Lateya S. Pointer, 24, 18161 Versailles Lane #103, Hazel Crest, was issued a citation charging speeding and issued a municipal citation charging possession of cannabis when an officer traveling on April 21 at 7:21 AM southbound on Western Avenue near Cedar Street observed a vehicle traveling 53 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone northbound on Western Avenue from Indianwood Boulevard, according to police. Ms. Pointer’s vehicle was towed from the scene per local ordinance. Ms. Pointer was released at the scene.

Felony Aggravated Driving While License Revoked

Cordella T. Walker, 34, 234 Allegheny St., Park Forest, was arrested on April 22 and charged with felony aggravated driving while license was revoked, and issued traffic citations charging operating a motor vehicle with expired registration, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, driving while license was revoked, and improper display of registration.

An officer was driving southbound on Western Avenue approaching 26th Street when he observed a vehicle without a rear license plate. The officer followed the vehicle as it turned eastbound on 26th Street from Western Avenue. The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. However, the vehicle allegedly continued onto Allegheny Street, passing Arcadia, Algonquin, and Arrowhead Streets.

The officer activated his emergency siren but the vehicle still allegedly failed to yield, according to police.

The vehicle finally pulled over in the driveway of 234 Allegheny Street, according to police. The officer later identified the driver as Cordella T. Walker. When the officer requested that Mr. Walker furnish his driver’s license, Mr. Walker “spontaneously stated that he doesn’t have a license,” according to the report.

The officer conducted a law enforcement inquiry on Mr. Walker’s driving privileges and learned that Mr. Walker’s driving privileges were revoked. Other officers arrived on the scene. Mr. Walker was placed in handcuffs and put into a squad car. A passenger in the vehicle was released from the scene. The vehicle belonged to the passenger and was was released to the passenger. The passenger was advised to not drive the car because she had no valid driver’s license.

April 23, 2018 – No Arrests or Citations

There was no arrest or citation reports for April 23, which this section of reports also covered.

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