Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- One week this summer was unusually busy. This is the second of three articles that cover that period. This instance shows two of three DUIs that week. There were other arrests and one report of a municipal citation charging possession of cannabis. The last was not an arrest. We include this as the driver allegedly had the cannabis in a car.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through July 24, 2023 – Part II
Fleeing and Eluding
Police arrested Joseph B. Israel, 30, 14646 Atlantic Ave., Dolton, on July 20 and charged him with fleeing and eluding a peace officer. An officer patrolling at 1:57 AM saw a black Honda traveling northbound on Western Avenue at 74 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, according to police. The officer had to pursue the vehicle northbound on Western Avenue to where Western turned into Harwood Avenue and then left, westbound, onto 183 Street, according to police. On 183rd Street, several Homewood Police Department squad cars met the officer from Park Forest, according to police. The vehicle, driven by Mr. Israel, turned northbound onto Park Avenue from 183rd Street, where it stopped, according to police.
First of Two DUIs
Police arrested Eriel M. Robinson, 28, 820 Harvard Lane, Matteson, and charged her on July 20 with DUI alcohol, DUI alcohol >o.o8 BAC, driving while driver’s license was suspended, improper traffic Lane usage, and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Police responded at 1:21 p.m. to investigate a vehicle accident report on Homan Avenue. Ms. Robinson’s BAC was 0.083 when they tested her, according to police.
This was the first of two DUIs in this report, the first of three police charged people with during this week.
Possession of Cannabis
Police issued Jahiem J. Benton, 21, 23445 Western Ave., Park Forest, a municipal citation on July 20 charging possession of cannabis. An officer saw a black Dodge Durango traveling eastbound on Sauk Trail at Blackhawk Drive allegedly at a high rate of speed at 11:29 PM, according to police. Mr. Benton was the driver, according to police. The officer who pulled Mr. Benton over smelled burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle, according to police. The officer found a small amount of suspect cannabis in the center console, according to police. According to the report, the officer gave Mr. Benton the municipal citation and provided him with an optional court date in August at the Park Forest courtroom.
Battery and Aggravated Assault
Police arrested Gloria L. Fields, 59, 911 Elder Rd. #1S, Homewood, on July 20, charged her with one count of battery, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of criminal damage to property. Police responded to the Indianwood Boulevard and Marquette Street area at 5:23 PM to investigate a disturbance report. They discovered Ms. Fields parked in a Ford Escape facing southbound in front of a home in the 300 block of Indianwood Boulevard.
Ms. Fields allegedly struck a vehicle and a person with a hammer, accusing the person of damaging the car of one of her relatives, according to police. According to the report, a passenger in Ms. Fields’s car allegedly stood and watched as she allegedly attacked the person. According to the report, the passenger reportedly failed to intervene as the alleged victim screamed, asking him to stop Ms. Fields. The officer explained to the alleged victim that police could pursue felony charges. However, the alleged victim did not wish to go in that direction, content with the misdemeanor charges, according to police. According to the report, Ms. Fields allegedly admitted to striking the vehicle but not the person. She reportedly told police that she “could have possibly struck” the person while attempting to grab his cell phone from his hands, according to police.
Second of Two DUIs
Police arrested Donna L. Mead, 54, 1413 62nd St., Chicago, on July 23 and charged her with disobeying a traffic control signal, driving under the influence of alcohol, BAC greater than .08. At 12:38 AM, an officer saw a 2010 silver Dodge Caravan positioned on Sauk Trail at Western Avenue as if it was going to turn right to go north on Western Avenue, according to police. The traffic signal turned green, and the vehicle did not move, according to police.
The officer activated his air horn to alert the car that the traffic signal was now green, according to police. However, the vehicle did not move forward, according to the report. Then, the officer sounded his regular horn on his steering will to alert the driver that the traffic signal was green but again, the vehicle did not move forward. The officer activated his emergency lights and exited his patrol squad to check on the driver.
The officer spoke to the driver and sole occupant, Donna Mead. According to the report, Ms. Mead said she was waiting for her “father’s son” to meet her. Ms. Mead allegedly had slurred speech and an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath, according to police. According to the report, Ms. Mead later admitted to having consumed one drink. The officer administered Field sobriety tests and afterward took her into custody. At 1:45 AM, Ms. Mead submitted a breath sample that yielded a BrAC of .271, according to police.
This was the second of two DUIs in this report, the second of three police charged people with during this week.
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.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. 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.
