Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—An officer encountered a driver on North Street who had a “license plate” that simply read, “PRIVATE.” A loose group of activists calling themselves “sovereign citizens” use homemade “registration plates” like these as forms of protest. The sovereign citizen movement has been around since the 1970s.
The sovereign citizen movement has become the bane of many police officers in the U.S.
Self-proclaimed sovereign citizens feel that due to some contrived loopholes in the constitution, they can declare themselves free and laws do not apply to them.
However, people who get their legal advice from Wikipedia find that these loopholes don’t tend to actually exist.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning September 22, 2024
Warrant
Police arrested James B. Wilson, 50, of the 4000 block of W. 115th St., Chicago, on September 22, charged him with violating an order of protection, and processed him on an outstanding warrant out of Cook County. Police responded to a business in the 400 block of Sauk Trail at 11:24 PM to investigate a customer dispute.
Driving With a Suspended License
Police arrested Gerrell D. Doss, 29, of the 6700 block of S. Jeffery Blvd., Chicago, on September 23 and charged him with driving with a suspended license and no tail lamps. Police also processed him on an active warrant out of Cook County on a charge of domestic battery.
An officer patrolling at 3:53 AM saw a black 2022 Jeep on Shabbona Drive that allegedly did not have illuminated taillights, according to police. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the Jeep in the 300 block of Sauk Trail. Mr. Doss was the driver and allegedly had no identification, according to police. He did provide the officer with a bank card with his name on it, his date of birth, and the last four digits of his social security number to confirm his identification, according to police.
Driving While License Suspended
Police arrested Jesse Jackson Jr., 42, of the 1400 block of Donovan Dr., Chicago Heights, on September 23 and issued citations charging no valid registration, suspended registration, driving while his license was suspended, and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer patrolling at 1:10 PM heading westbound on North Street from Western Avenue saw a red Ford F-150 also traveling westbound. The vehicle’s registration plate read “Private,” with no state of origin listed. Through training and experience, the officer recognized this registration plate as fictitious, used by self-proclaimed “sovereign citizens,” according to police.
The officer activated the emergency lighting on his patrol vehicle, and the Ford pulled into the business’s parking lot in the first block of North Street. The driver and only occupant in the car was Mr. Jackson.
The officer asked why the plate was on the vehicle. Mr. Jackson told the officer the actual plates for the car “were bad,” and he used the current plates to transport his ill wife, according to police. Asked if he proclaimed himself a “sovereign citizen,” Mr. Jackson denied that he was but stated that a family member was, police said.
Mr. Jackson also told the officer his license was currently suspended as he allegedly failed to appear in court, according to police. He provided his name and date of birth to the officer.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Ismael Torres, 61, of the 200 block of Arcadia St., Park Forest, on September 24 and charged him with domestic battery.
Police responded to a home on Arcadia Street at 12:03 AM to investigate a domestic incident between family members, according to police. Upon arrival, police heard yelling coming from inside the home. They spoke with a family member who alleged that Mr. Torres was intoxicated and fighting with another family member, police said.
Criminal Damage to Property
Police arrested Deandra R. Isom, 36, of the 100 block of Lester Rd., Park Forest, on September 24 and charged her with criminal damage to property.
Police responded to an address on Lester Road at 5:01 PM to investigate a disturbance report. The complainant, Ms. Isom, said she was looking out the window of her home and saw a blue Chevrolet Malibu drive past her house. She believed the vehicle belonged to a family member and allegedly went outside with the baseball bat when several people confronted her, police said. She told police one person got out of the vehicle and threatened to fight her, police said. Feeling threatened, she allegedly swung the bat toward the person who was yelling. When she swung the bat, she said she missed. She said she then struck the front driver’s side window of the car, causing it to shatter, according to police.
According to another person at the scene, Ms. Isom exited the house, followed by a juvenile with a baseball bat. The juvenile allegedly handed the bat to Ms. Isom. She then reportedly began to strike the driver’s side of the vehicle, according to police.
Public Indecency
Police arrested DeAndre R. Lawrence, 30, of the 200 block of Mohawk Dr., Park Forest, on September 25 and charged him with public indecency.
Police responded to a report of public indecency at a home in the 200 block of Mohawk Drive at 3:07 PM. SouthCom Dispatch advised that a man wearing gray jogging pants with a hat and no shirt was allegedly exposing himself, police said.
A responding officer spoke with a resident watching her son ride his bike. She alleged that a man wearing gray jogging pants, no shirt, and a hat was masturbating in the bushes in front of a home on Mohawk Drive. This person alleged that the man was a neighbor, later identified as Mr. Lawrence, according to police.
A witness videotaped the alleged incident on the phone. Officers observed the video and allegedly saw Mr. Lawrence masturbating behind a tree in the front yard of a home on Mohawk.
Police arrested Mr. Lawrence on suspicion of public indecency. While in custody, Mr. Lawrence was allegedly observed masturbating in his cell, according to police.
Retail Theft
Police arrested Clayton Kendall III of the 1400 block of Emerald Ave., Chicago Heights, on September 26 and issued him a municipal ticket charging theft when police responded to a business in the first block of Main Street to investigate a report of retail theft.
DUI
Police arrested Nancy Houston, 54, of the 100 block of N. Arbor Trl., Park Forest, on September 27 and charged her with DUI and speeding.
An officer patrolling at 12:10 AM was traveling northbound on Western Avenue from Sauk Trail. He saw a lone vehicle heading southbound on Western Avenue. That vehicle was in the left lane, coming from the area of Main Street. According to the radar in the officer’s squad, it allegedly reached a top speed of 53 miles per hour. The posted speed in that area is 35 mph.
Police: The car Stops in the middle of the lane, not near the curb
The officer conducted a U-turn and activated the squad’s overhead emergency lights near Western Avenue and Hemlock Street. The police said that the vehicle, a Nissan, had stopped in the middle of the right lane. According to police, it did not stop close to the curb after passing through the intersection of Western Avenue and Monee Road.
The driver and only occupant in the car was Nancy Houston, according to police. According to the report, the officer noticed that Ms. Houston had slurred speech. The officer also detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Ms. Houston’s breath, police said. Additionally, police said her eyes were glassy with a reddish-yellow tint.
The officer asked Ms. Houston to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to determine if she could operate a motor vehicle safely. She complied. After the tests, the officer took Ms. Houston into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the police station, Ms. Houston allegedly provided three insufficient breathalyzer samples, which police consider a refusal, 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.
