Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A man shot a firearm into the air to break up an argument between a man and a woman, police said. That man did not face charges, according to a November report. The woman began to walk away. The man she argued with, however, allegedly pursued her, jumped on her back, and choked her.
Most of the parties in that incident had been drinking, police said.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning November 17, 2024
Criminal Trespass
Police arrested Jobe A. Jones, 24, of the 4300 block of W. 188th Pl., Country Club Hills, on November 17 and charged him with criminal trespass.
Officers responded to the parking lot of the 7-Eleven in the 400 block of Sauk Trail at 3:42 PM. SouthCom Dispatch told officers someone reported a man making a disturbance in the parking lot. When police arrived, Jobe A. Jones was in the parking lot, walking around and yelling, police said.
When Mr. Jones saw officers pull up, he started walking away from the business towards Richton Park. One officer recognized Mr. Jones from a previous incident on November 6, when he allegedly trespassed on the same business.
An officer spoke with the store owner, who said Mr. Jones had been inside the store since early morning. He never bought anything. Someone later found him sleeping inside the slot machine room, police said. When the owner told Mr. Jones to leave, he allegedly became highly irate, screaming and yelling at him and his staff. The owner later learned that his staff was afraid of Mr. Jones.
The owner signed complaints against Mr. Jones on the charge of trespassing. He had an initial court date of January 16, 2025, at the Markham Courthouse.
DUI Alcohol
Police arrested Ronrecus J. Griffin, of the 22400 block of Coach Way Ln., Richton Park, on November 17 and charged him with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, uninsured motor vehicle, and DUI alcohol.
Police responded to the intersection of Western Avenue and Steger Road at 8:45 PM regarding a report of a two-vehicle accident. Upon arrival, police saw two vehicles in the northbound lanes of traffic, both occupying the inside left lane. The cars were 50 feet north of the intersection with Steger Road. There was a red Chevy and a white Chrysler minivan, police said.
Police spoke with the driver of the Chevy, who said she believed the traffic signal was green when someone struck the rear of her vehicle. She later said she could not recall if the traffic signal was red or green when the Chrysler struck her car.
She told police that most of the damage to the rear of her vehicle was new and caused during the crash. Police provided her with a copy of the case report number and allowed her to leave the scene with the Chevy.
Police Speak With Second Driver
An officer spoke with the driver and owner of the Chrysler, identified as Ronrecus Griffin. He told police he was physically okay. While speaking with Mr. Griffin, one officer immediately noted the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the interior of the Chrysler. During his interaction with Mr. Griffin, the officer noticed the odor increased and became overwhelming as Mr. Griffin got closer, police said.
The officer noted that Mr. Griffin was tenuously looking for his insurance information throughout the vehicle’s interior per another officer’s request. Mr. Griffin had slow movements, very slurred speech, which at times was inaudible, red and glassy eyes, droopy eyelids, and an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, police said. According to the report, an officer had to ask Mr. Griffin for his license/identification card three times. The repetition was necessary as he appeared not to comprehend what police asked him, police said.
Second Driver Gives His Account
An officer asked Mr. Griffin what happened. He responded, saying the light was “stopped,” according to the report. When asked where he was going, Griffin said he was going the “same way” as the other car. Mr. Griffin then allegedly told police that he was “not gonna lie” and that he hit the Chevy while they were stopped at the traffic signal, according to police. Mr. Griffin later changed his account of events, police said. He later indicated that the Chevy braked suddenly, which caused his vehicle to strike hers, police said.
Mr. Griffin searched for his insurance information. One officer finally asked him if he had insurance for the car. Mr. Griffin allegedly responded, “No, I just…” At that point, his speech trailed off and became inaudible, according to police.
An officer asked Mr. Griffin if he would conduct several tests to determine his ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. Mr. Griffin responded, “I’m cool to drive,” according to police. Police again asked Mr. Griffin if he would participate in the field sobriety tests. He allegedly responded, “I don’t care, bro,” police said.
Due to Mr. Griffin’s inability to follow instructions during the tests and his unsteadiness on his feet, the police could not complete the tests. An officer then offered Mr. Griffin a preliminary breathalyzer test. He submitted to the test, which showed a result of .224 BrAC.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Damonte D. Rife, 24, of the 22500 block of Arquilla Dr., Richton Park, on November 19 and charged him with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and one count of resisting a peace officer.
Police responded to a home on Forest Boulevard at 8:14 AM regarding a report of a domestic disturbance. A man told police that he and a woman engaged in a verbal argument, but nothing physical occurred. He said he was willing to leave the apartment until everyone cooled down.
While officers spoke with the man leaving peacefully, Damonte D. Rife. Mr. Rife approached the man and asked him what happened. Mr. Rife appeared to be agitated, police said. Mr. Rife walked towards the man. As he did so, his girlfriend held him back from approaching. Mr. Rife then left the residence with a family member.
As police prepared to leave the parking lot, one officer saw Mr. Rife running from an adjacent building toward the same apartment on Forest Boulevard. He began knocking on the door. The man who first spoke with police opened the door. An officer then allegedly saw Mr. Rife use two hands to shove the man, according to police.
An officer told Mr. Rife they were arresting him on suspicion of domestic battery.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Javae M. Denham, 23, of the 300 block of Sandra Ln., Chicago Heights, on November 19 and charged him with misdemeanor domestic battery.
Police responded to a home on Sangamon Court at 11:06 PM regarding a disturbance report. As officers were on their way, SouthCom Dispatch told them a man and woman were outside yelling at each other. The person who called also reported hearing a possible gunshot, police said.
Officer Deploys Taser
A responding officer told police he had deployed his Taser and needed patrol units to expedite. The officer arrived after a man allegedly shot a firearm into the air to stop an argument.
Shot a firearm into the air.
As another officer arrived, he saw the officer with the Taser on the ground in front of the home on Sangamon Court with two people, one of whom was Javae M. Denham. Police handcuffed Mr. Denham and brought him to his feet.
An officer asked about the possible gunshot. One person at the scene said the gunshot was from her father firing a single round into the air to break up the argument between Mr. Denham and the woman. They were allegedly fighting in the rear seat of a car, police said.
Tense Moments: Firearm Shot Into the Air
A witness reported seeing the man come out of the house and stand in front of the vehicle where the man and woman were fighting. The man shot the firearm into the air and then allegedly pointed the weapon in the woman’s direction. He reportedly threatened her with the gun, the report said.
The woman allegedly told the man to “do it,” police said.
The man with the gun then went back into the house.
The woman grabbed her items from the car and began walking away. Mr. Denham then ran towards her. He allegedly jumped on her back and choked her from behind, police said.
The woman said the original officer at the scene arrived as Mr. Denham allegedly choked her, police said. That officer immediately approached the two of them and deployed his Taser, hitting Mr. Denham, according to police.
According to the report, all of the parties were under the influence of alcohol.
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.
