Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A Park Forest woman allegedly attempted to hit a man with her Chevy Trax. She also allegedly hit the man with an empty liquor bottle. The man and woman knew each other. Officers previously respoded to several incidents between the two in 2024, police said.
In a separate incident, police found a disassembled Smith & Wesson AR-15 style rifle in the3 vehicle of a man charged with DUI.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning November 21, 2024
Disorderly Conduct
Police arrested Gregory Johnson Jr., 36, of the 8000 block of South Drexel Ave., Chicago, on November 21 and charged him with disorderly conduct.
Police responded to CVS Pharmacy in the first block of Main Street at 9:42 AM to investigate a report of retail theft, later classified as disorderly conduct. The complainant alleged that a man wearing gray sweat pants, a black top, and a ski mask, threw items within the store. He then left, walking towards the Park Forest Police Department, according to police.
Police located a man, later identified as Gregory Johnson Jr., matching that description. He was walking toward the Park Forest Police Department. Mr. Johnson had two backpacks. Seemingly upset that officers were approaching him, he threw them down on the ground.
When officers asked him what happened, Mr. Johnson said that he was trying to buy a phone and that an employee called the police and said he was stealing, police said. Mr. Johnson said he did not steal any items and gave police consent to search his backpacks. An officer searched the backpacks and did not locate any known contraband, police said.
The officer asked Mr. Johnson if he threw anything in the store. According to the report, Mr. Johnson smirked and said no. The officer asked a follow-up question: why he had smirked? Mr. Johnson then allegedly admitted that he did throw an item toward the manager, police said.
DUI Alcohol
Police arrested Herbert A. Simpson, 46, of the 100 block of Nanti St., Park Forest, on November 23 and charged him with failure to signal when required, improper lane usage, failure to signal when required, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and DUI alcohol.
Police also arrested a passenger in the car, Charles A. Knox, 44, of the 100 block of Nanti St., Park Forest, and charged him with obstructing.
An officer patrolling at 12:53 AM saw a red Nissan heading southbound on S. Orchard Dr. Police allege that the vehicle failed to use a turn signal when turning east onto Indianwood Boulevard, police said. The officer then saw the vehicle hit the raised median curb and continued driving eastbound in the westbound lane, police said.
Driving after the vehicle, the officer saw the car turn northbound on to Forest Boulevard without using a turn signal, according to police. The car then signaled a right turn onto Main Street and continued towards Western Avenue. The officer was behind the red Nissan and activated the emergency lighting on her patrol vehicle to initiate a traffic stop.
The car turned northbound onto Western Avenue when the light turned green but drove approximately two tenths of a mile before coming to a stop in the driveway of Court E-9.
Another officer arrived on the scene to assist.
“I know, I saw it, pulling up, yeah,”
Charles A. Knox, the driver, interrupted the officer as she began to identify the reason for the stop, police said. He said, “I know, I saw it, pulling up, yeah,” according to the report.
The officer asked Mr. Simpson for his license and registration. He said he did not have his license because he was on a ticket, police said. He asserted that he did have an ID card but failed to provide a physical card, police said.
Mr. Simpson then asked for the reason of the stop. The officer responded, saying that Mr. Simpson failed to stop at the stop sign at Orchard Drive and Indianwood Boulevard. She told him that he then drove on the wrong side of the road, police said. Mr. Simpson stated, “That’s what he said,” as he pointed to his passenger, Mr. Knox. Mr. Simpson then stated that he crossed over. Mr. Knox asserted that they just got confused.
The officer asked Mr. Simpson where they were from. Mr. Simpson pointed and told her just to the right there, police said. Police later realized that Mr. Knox did not live in the cooperative. The officer asked where they were coming from. Mr. Simpson replied, “Right there by Stacy’s,” according to police. Stacy’s Bistro is a local bar located on Orchard Dr. in Park Forest, the report says.
“So, what did I do?”
After the officer obtained Mr. Simpson’s name, he asked, “So, what did I do?”
The officer responded, telling him he ran a couple of stop signs when he turned left onto Indianwood. Mr. Simpson then allegedly stated he was never on Indianwood and had just left Stacy’s where he, “Made a right and then a left,” according to police. The officer then asked Mr. Simpson to exit the vehicle. He made statements to police about the Chicago Heights police pulling him over two weeks prior for the same thing, according to the report.
The officer administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the test, she advised Mr. Simpson she was arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. As an officer attempted to transport Mr. Simpson back to the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Knox allegedly did not listen to commands to move out of the way, to allow for a safe turn by the police vehicle, police said. Police arrested him on suspicion of obstructing.
At the station, Mr. Simpson declined to provide a breath sample into the breathalyzer. Inside the vehicle, prior to toe, police found a disassembled Smith & Wesson AR-15 style rifle. The weapon had a loaded magazine with 16 live rounds located in a bag. Police cleared the firearm through LEADS.
Burglary
Police arrested Vay Quan Lane and Michael N. Lane Jr., both from the 500 block of Angle St., Dolton, on November 23 and charged them with burglary. Additionally, police charged Michael with improper turn.
Officers responded to an address on Sioux Street at 5:31 AM to investigate a report of a burglary in progress. SouthCom Dispatch notified responding officers that there were three subjects allegedly moving home appliances from a home into a U-Haul. SouthCom then said the U-Haul left the home and was heading northbound on Shabbona Drive.
Police saw the vehicle at Shabbona Drive and Blackhawk Drive heading northbound. An officer conducted a U-turn and followed behind the truck. Another officer responded to the address on Sioux Street and spoke with a witness. This man said he woke up and heard unfamiliar noises coming from the east side of his home. He opened his window and heard whispers coming from the address police responded to. He then viewed his Ring camera surveillance and saw three men walking up the driveway. Soon after, they loaded appliances into the U-Haul, according to police.
Police investigated and located a damaged side door at the address in question.
Domestic Battery: Chevy Trax and a Bottle
Police arrested Israyelle D. Russell, 23, of the 400 block of Shabbona Dr., Park Forest, on November 23 and charged her with domestic battery.
Police responded to a convenience store in the 400 block of Sauk Trail at 10:01 AM to investigate a report of a domestic incident. While officers were on their way, SouthCom Dispatch advised that a woman allegedly tried to strike a man with a white Chevrolet Trax. SouthCom also provided police with a partial registration of the out-of-state plate.
Chevy Trax at Gas Station
An officer saw the Chevy Trax parked on the west side of the Shell Gas station in the 300 block of Sauk Trail, police said. The officer instructed another responding officer to respond to the Shell station while he responded to the convenience store to speak with the complainant.
The complainant told police that his vehicle needed repair work and he began to walk to the 7-Eleven to purchase breakfast food. As he neared the intersection of Miami Street and Central Park Avenue, he alleged Ms. Russell drove her vehicle and attempted to run him over with it, according to police. He said he then ran behind a business in the 22300 block of Central Park Avenue where he hid himself.
Complainant and Alleged Offender Knew Each Other
The man and Ms. Russell knew each other, police said.
He then went to the 7-Eleven where he encountered Ms. Russell in the parking lot. She was now standing outside her Chevy Trax, police said. The complainant said that, while he was in the lot, Ms. Russell allegedly threw an empty bottle of liquor at him, police said. He said he held his hand up to prevent the bottle from striking him. However, the bottle still struck his person, according to the report.
The man said he had a pre-existing cut on his hand that was now bleeding because the bottle hit him. The officer saw a small cut on the inner left palm of the man’s hand. It was bleeding slightly, according to police.
Heading into the 711, the officer reviewed footage from the store where he saw Ms. Russell allegedly throw a bottle at the complainant, striking him, according to police. This officer then advised the officer with Ms. Russell to arrest her, according to police.
Reviewing the police database, the reporting officer found seven separate incidents between the complainant and Ms. Russell in 2024.
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.
