Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—Over three consecutive days, police arrested and charged three people from outside Park Forest with DUIs. A Calumet City woman allegedly accelerated and slammed her car into a tree on Western Avenue. Officers charged a Chicago man with DUI – BAC over 0.08. When police asked him if he knew where he was, he reportedly replied, “Truthfully, I don’t know.” Finally, a LaGrange woman must now contend with a DUI – BAC over 0.08 charge and possession of a controlled substance.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning July 7, 2024
DUI – BAC over 0.08
Police arrested Erica C. Westbrook, 47, of the 1900 block of Stonegate Dr. in Calumet City on July 7 and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI – BAC over 0.08, and no insurance.
Police responded to the 23400 block of S. Western Ave. at 1:29 AM to investigate a personal injury accident. They found a black 2007 Cadillac up against a tree. The car had heavy damage to its front end and significant damage to the passenger side. According to the report, debris from the vehicle and from the tree flew into the parking lot from the crash. The vehicle’s front airbags were deployed as a result of the collision.
The only person in the vehicle was Erica C. Westbrook, according to police. She had minor injuries to her left arm from the airbag deployment.
Witness Statement
Police spoke with a witness who had just dropped off his last Uber Eats order at the Autumn Ridge Apartments. He turned northbound onto Western Avenue behind the Cadillac, heading northbound on Western.
Just before the Cadillac approached the slight curve in the roadway, the vehicle appeared to accelerate, possibly going as fast as 60 miles per hour, the witness said. The car then suddenly went off the highway and struck the tree. The witness said the driver was initially unresponsive but woke up.
According to police, Ms. Westbrook agreed to perform field sobriety tests. After the tests, detailed in the report, police took Ms. Westbrook into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence. Coy’s Towing removed her vehicle from the scene, and police placed an administrative seizure on the car. At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Westbrook submitted a breath sample yielding a .162 BAC, according to police.
Felony Aggravated DUI
Police arrested Pablo Rayo of the 200 block of W. 15th Street, Chicago, on July 8 and charged him with felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, traffic citations charging parking, standing, or stopping where prohibited, and transportation or possession of alcoholic liquor in a motor vehicle. They also charged Mr. Rayo with possession of a controlled substance and driving while his license was revoked.
An officer traveling eastbound on Sauk Trail around 1:09 AM saw a white 2007 Pontiac allegedly parked illegally in the eastbound Sauk Trail curb lane. The car had its right turn signal on. The officer approached the vehicle and found the driver and sole occupant, later identified as Pablo Rayo.
While speaking with him, an officer noted that Mr. Rayo had slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes, according to police. He also appeared disoriented. The officer asked if he knew where he was. Mr. Rayo allegedly answered, “Truthfully, I don’t know,” according to police.
An officer asked Mr. Rayo for his driver’s license. He pulled his temporary visitor driver’s license from his wallet and apologized to the officer.
Police saw a Budweiser beer can in the rear driver’s side of the vehicle. There was also a beer can on the front side of the passenger floor, police said. When asked, Mr. Rayo told police that he and a friend drank a 12-pack of beer, and he had his last beer about 20 minutes prior.
Police asked him to perform field sobriety tests, and he agreed to do so, according to police. After the tests, police told Mr. Rayo they were arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
While conducting an inventory of his car, police located one empty Budweiser beer can on the front passenger floor, an opened beer can in a plastic bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat, and an empty 32-ounce bottle of Victoria beer behind the driver’s seat, and two small clear plastic bags with a white powder substance inside Mr. Rayo’s wallet.
Mr. Rayo allegedly admitted that he purchases cocaine to hand it to his friends, according to police. However, he reportedly told police the cocaine in his wallet was for his “personal use,” according to the report.
At the police station, Mr. Rayo refused to submit a breath sample. An officer field-tested the white powder-like substance recovered from Mr. Rayo’s wallet, which tested positive for the presumptive presence of cocaine, according to police.
DUI – BAC over 0.08
Police arrested Carrionna V. Hayes, 25, of the 9600 block of Ogden Ave., LaGrange, on July 9 and charged her with DUI – alcohol, DUI – BAC over 0.08, illegal transportation of alcohol, suspended registration, no driver’s license, and possession of a controlled substance.
While on patrol at 10:08 AM, an officer saw a tan 2015 Chevrolet Malibu with heavily tinted windows traveling South on Western Avenue near Court E-7. The officer performed a U-turn and tried to catch up with the car. He saw the vehicle turn on its right turn signal. The car traveled multiple blocks with the signal on before turning west onto Main Street, according to police.
The vehicle then turned into the Dollar General parking lot. It turned left where there were no parking spots and allegedly stopped in the middle of the road, blocking a semi-truck, according to police.
The officer activated his emergency lights and approached the car. Asking the driver to lower all the windows, the officer detected an immediate strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle, according to police.
According to police, five people were in the car. Carrionna V. Hayes was in the driver’s seat. Another officer arrived as backup.
According to police, Ms. Hayes admitted she had no driver’s license and never had one. She allegedly said she didn’t know she needed one because the front passenger in the car had a valid license, and the Chevy was his car.
The officer picked up a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from Ms. Hayes’s breath. According to the report, she also had glassy eyes and slurred speech.
The officer saw a small bottle between Ms. Hayes’s legs. When asked about the bottle, she pulled it out and showed the officer a bottle of alcohol, according to police. She allegedly began to fumble with the bottle while appearing to have a hard time keeping her eyes open, police said.
The officer asked her to get out of the car as she allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol. She submitted to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests detailed in the report, police arrested Ms. Hayes on suspicion of driving without a license. At the police station, Ms. Hayes submitted to a breathalyzer test with a result of 0.082, 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.
