Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- In the latter part of February, police charged individuals with domestic battery, no valid driver’s license, leaving the scene of an accident, and possession of cannabis. The cannabis charge occurred because police said they discovered cannabis in a car inside a plastic bag. The cannabis was not in a proper container. The driver told police the cannabis was for private use.
We relate these details because Park Forest police no longer seize and impound vehicles because of alleged cannabis in vehicles. This is a good move, we believe, and adequately follows the legalization of marijuana in Illinois.
About the Alleged Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Concerning the incident involving a driver allegedly leaving the scene of an accident, the driver allegedly leaving the scene hid her face from the person whose vehicle she allegedly struck. That’s according to the report.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through February 24, 2023
Domestic Battery
Phillip J. Hubbard Jr., 28, 3616 Western Ave., was arrested on February 18 and charged with domestic battery. At about 12:15 AM, an officer investigating another incident near Hemlock Street and McGarity Road saw an unclosed woman walking outside, according to police. She was bleeding from the mouth, according to police.
The woman told police that she needed to get back into her residence, according to police. She said her boyfriend was inside. She expressed concern about her son’s safety, according to police. Police heard yelling coming from inside the unit near Court H-1. They saw a man, later identified as Philip Hubbard, yelling from an upstairs window, according to police. Mr. Hubbard subsequently came outside the residence” yelling in an agitated state,” according to the report.
Mr. Hubbard claimed that the woman punched him while he was sleeping, according to police. Police said Mr. Hubbard “was vague and not forthcoming with providing information,” according to the report.
The woman told police she and Mr. Hubbard were in the front room watching television. She said that Mr. Hubbard became angry without provocation and started yelling, according to police. The woman told police that Mr. Hubbard suffers from PTSD from his time in the military, according to the report. She said he was also intoxicated, according to the report.
According to the report, she alleged that Mr. Hubbard struck her about the face multiple times. Police arrested Mr. Hubbard and transported him to the Park Forest Police Department. Police have records of six other incidents involving Mr. Hubbard, three from 2021 and three from 2022, according to the report.
No Valid Driver’s License
Police charged Theotris E. Thompson, 45, 175 Indianwood Blvd., Park Forest, on February 18 with one count of no valid driver’s license. An eastbound officer on Indianwood Boulevard approaching Western Avenue saw a 2011 Hyundai with a Wisconsin registration. During roll call, commanders briefed police about the vehicle as dayshift officers noted that the vehicle was traveling through Park Forest. The dayshift was unable to locate the car, according to police. The vehicle was reported stolen out of Wisconsin.
The officer followed the Hyundai to the 2500 block of Western Avenue store. According to the report, he approached the Hyundai in the parking lot and ordered the occupants at gunpoint to show their hands. According to the report, the driver, Theotris Thompson, told the officer that he borrowed the vehicle from a woman he knows in Wisconsin. Mr. Thompson provided the officer with the woman’s phone number from his cell phone, according to police. The officer verified that the woman owned the car, according to police. She said that she lent the vehicle to a man named “Ali,” and she did not know who Mr. Thompson or his passenger in the vehicle was, according to police.
Mr. Thompson told police, “without coaching,” that his nickname was “Ali,” according to the report. Police determined that Mr. Thompson did not have a driver’s license, according to police.
Possession of Cannabis
An officer issued a municipal citation charging possession of cannabis on February 21 to Giovanni I. Pena, 30, 27 E. 25th St., Chicago Heights, after the officer saw a car driving westbound on Westwood Drive, where the driver allegedly failed to maintain proper lane usage. While questioning the driver, the officer who pulled the car over saw a plastic bag containing a green leafy substance, suspect cannabis, on the passenger seat, according to police.
This report indicates a citation, not an arrest.
Aggravated Speeding
Police arrested Precious S. Owens, 23, 277 Arrowhead St., Park Forest, on February 22 and charged with obstructing identification, aggravated speeding, and no valid driver’s license. An officer traveling eastbound on Sauk Trail from Blackhawk Drive saw a white sedan that appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed going westbound on Sauk Trail, according to police.
The officer’s radar indicated that the white sedan was traveling at 64 mph in the posted 35 mph zone, according to police.
The officer followed the vehicle and curbed it on Millard Avenue just north of Sauk Trail in Richton Park, according to police. He spoke with the driver and sole occupant, later identified as Precious Owens. The officer asked why she was traveling so fast. Ms. Owens allegedly said she was trying to get to a fast-food restaurant.
Ms. Owens told the officer that she did not have her driver’s license on her but provided the officer with the vehicle’s insurance. The officer asked if she had any identification or a picture ID on her phone. Ms. Owens allegedly said that she did not, according to police. The officer asked that she provide her name and date of birth.
Ms. Owens allegedly told the officer her name was “Shante S. Owens,” according to police. She provided the officer with a date of birth. The officer asked her to spell her name. When she spelled her name a second time, she allegedly provided the officer with a different date of birth, according to police. Police could not find a record of a “Shante Owens,” according to the report.
Eventually, Ms. Owens told police that her real first name was “Precious,” according to police.
Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Willetra R. Caldwell, 27, 1045 S. Halsted St. #3, Chicago Heights, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and improper lane usage on February 24 after an officer was dispatched to the area of Sauk Trail and Cicero Boulevard to meet a complainant about an allegation of a hit and run accident which occurred at Sauk Trail and Blackhawk Drive, according to police.
The complainant said her vehicle was struck by the driver’s side of a black 2020 Jeep Renegade, which was possibly trying to avoid another vehicle, according to police. After the crash, the Jeep allegedly left the area westbound on Sauk Trail, according to police. The complainant followed the Jeep, believing it would soon pull over, but it continued traveling west, according to police.
Alleged: Driver Leaving Scene Hid Face
The complainant tried to look at the driver of the Jeep, but the driver allegedly had his or her arm up against the left side of their face to hide the face, according to police.
Police checked a FLOCK camera system which showed a Jeep and the Mitsubishi traveling westbound on Sauk Trail near Lakewood Boulevard on February 24 at 7:56 AM. This corroborated the complainant’s testimony, according to the report. Police determined that the Jeep was registered to Willetra R. Caldwell, according to police. Police contacted Ms. Caldwell, who responded to the Park Forest Police Department on February 24, 2023.
Domestic Battery
Ariyanna K. Johnson, 18, 657 Sullivan Lane, University Park, was arrested on February 24 and charged with domestic battery and resisting a peace officer after police were dispatched to Hemlock Street to investigate a report of a 911 hang-up. Police met with a man who was bleeding inside his mouth, according to police. Ms. Johnson allegedly pulled his hair and started to punch and kick him in the face, causing his lip to bleed, 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.
