Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—An Oak Forest man left Park Forest with a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Officers were conducting extra patrols in the aftermath of reports of damaged vehicles and burglaries to cars.
Oak Forest Man Charged with Felony
Police arrested Jaelyn A. Durham, 21, of the 16700 block of Forest Ave., Oak Forest, on July 11 and charged him with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. In the same incident, please also arrested Torrance B. Townsend, 20, of the 300 block of Merrimac St., Park Forest, and charged him with unlawful possession of adult-use cannabis and a motor vehicle.
Police were conducting an extra patrol north of Lakewood Boulevard at 3:37 AM when people reported criminal damage to vehicles and burglaries to cars in that area. A manufacturing defect of Hyundai and Kia vehicles made them more accessible to steal than other brands, according to police.
While patrolling, officers saw a white Hyundai Sonata with an Ohio plate parked on Elm St. near Gibson Road. According to the report, three people were inside the car, and officers saw clouds of smoke inside.
Officers parked their vehicle and exited to conduct a “consensual encounter,” police said in the report. They identified the driver as Torrance B. Townsend and the front seat passenger as Jaelyn A. Durham. When police got to the vehicle, Mr. Durham rolled down his window. An officer saw smoke coming from the inside of the car, along with a strong odor of burnt cannabis.
Other officers responded to the scene.
Police find a handgun.
Police ordered all of the occupants out of the car and detained them in handcuffs pending further investigation. Searching the vehicle, one officer saw a backpack on the front passenger floorboard. The officer moved the backpack forward. As he did so, a handgun that was under the backpack became visible, according to police.
According to police, the weapon was a black semi-automatic pistol, a Polymer 80 brand 9 mm. The handgun had an extended magazine containing twenty 9 mm live rounds. A laser sight was also affixed to the gun’s frame.
The police said the weapon was checked clear through LEADS.
Police learned that none of the occupants had a FOID or CCL. Coy’s Towing took Mr. Townsend’s vehicle from the scene. Officers conducted a complete search and inventory of the car. They found inside one clear plastic bag containing a green leafy substance – suspected cannabis – located on Mr. Townsend and another bag containing a green leafy substance – suspected cannabis.
Police charged Mr. Townsend with unlawful possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle and released him on a citation and notice, according to police. He had a mandatory court date of August 9, 2024, according to police.
At the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Durham asked to speak with officers, according to police. He denied ownership of the firearm police found on the front passenger floor. Officers asked him if he would provide a DNA sample. He refused. He admitted that the backpack officers found on the front passenger floor was his, according to police.
Police charged the Oak Forest man with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
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.