Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through August 6, 2019


K9 Officer Charles Karl
K9 Officer Charles Karl, recipient of the Park Forest Police Department’s Term Award for the 2nd Quarter of 2019. (Photo: PFPD)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports include arrests through August 6, 2019. Charges for those arrested include felony aggravated driving while license was revoked and felony unlawful possession of title documents/altered registration. The first report concerns a man who apparently was not the subject of the 911 call to which officers responded but likely was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After questioning him, police learned he had multiple warrants for his arrest.

Providing more details than readers will find in any other police beat reports, we invite readers to subscribe to get the whole story, every day.

eNews Park Forest has always published 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 who have been charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.

An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. All those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest to not remove items in the public record from publication. If your name is listed in the police reports, 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.

Persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters including narcotics or gang activity are encouraged to call the Park Forest Police DepartmentInvestigations Division at (708) 748-1309.

eNews Park Forest reports this information because the public in the United States has the right to know.  When that information is withheld or under-reported, it leaves questions.  We also want to show the work that the police force does every day that is not reported.  Police in Park Forest respond to thousands of calls per year, the vast majority of which do not end up with arrests.  Whether it’s conducting a routine investigation, pulling over a drunk driver, or responding to a possible theft at a store, the work of the police officer deserves acknowledgment by the public.

Obstructing Identification, Resisting

Kendrick W. Reed, 29, 8409 S. Vincennes Ave. #C4, Chicago, was arrested on August 1 and charged with obstructing identification and resisting a peace officer after police were dispatched to the area of Sycamore Drive and Western Avenue to investigate a report of a disturbance. SouthCom Dispatch told police a collar reported a man and woman yelling somewhere near the South Arbor Trail townhomes, according to the report. Dispatch reported that a second caller heard a woman scream, “Please help me,” and a man allegedly screamed, “Everybody dies now,” according to the report.

The man was reported to be wearing a white T-shirt with red markings and gray jogging pants. When police arrived, they found a man wearing a white T-shirt and red pants standing alone near the front door of an apartment building in the 100 block of Sycamore Drive, near the leasing office, according to police.

That man, Kendrick W. Reed, allegedly told police that he was smoking outside and that he was locked out of his building. He allegedly identified himself as “Kendrick Reid,” with no middle name, according to police. According to police, he allegedly stated a total of three times that his last name was spelled “Reid.” He allegedly also told police that he was 28 years old.

Police later learned that Mr. Reed was actually 29 years old and had a misdemeanor warrant out of McLean County on a charge of failure to appear regarding a traffic offense, a misdemeanor warrant out of Chicago on an assault charge, and a felony warrant from the Lake County Sheriff in Indiana on a charge of selling heroin, according to the report. Police learned that the McLean County warrant was not extraditable to Will County, but that the Chicago Cook County and Lake County warrants were extraditable to Will County, according to police.

Mr. Reed heard dispatch advised police of the status of the warrants and, and, before an officer could tell Mr. Reed that he was under arrest, Mr. Reed allegedly turned from an officer and started sprinting towards the entrance of the apartment building, according to police.

An officer pursued Mr. Reed, who allegedly opened the front door and ran into the lobby, according to police. The officer unholstered his Taser and pointed it at Mr. Reed who was still running away towards the second door in the lobby and immediately deployed the Taser. Both prongs struck Mr. Reed, one in his right arm and the other in his lower back, according to police. Mr. Reed fell to the ground and was taken into custody, according to police.

An officer later located the woman from the initial disturbance and determined that that incident was a domestic dispute unrelated to Mr. Reed, according to police.

Felony Aggravated Driving While License Revoked

Edgar J. Johnson, 59, 9821 S. Sangamon St., Chicago, was arrested on August 3 and charged with aggravated driving while license was revoked (a Class 4 felony) and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

An officer was parked in the 2500 block of Western Avenue conducting traffic enforcement when he observed a tan Ford Explorer traveling south on Western Avenue. As the vehicle passed the officer conducted a random registration inquiry and learned that the vehicle was registered to Edgar J. Johnson and that Mr. Johnson’s driving privileges were currently revoked because of a conviction he received in 1997 for Driving Under the Influence, according to police.

The officer caught up to the vehicle and activated his emergency lights, ultimately curbing the Ford in the parking lot of Court B-9 after the vehicle pulled into the court. The driver, later confirmed to be Mr. Johnson, immediately exited the vehicle and began to walk toward the officer. The officer instructed Mr. Johnson to get back into the vehicle and he complied.

The officer requested that Mr. Johnson furnish his driver’s license and proof of insurance and Mr. Johnson responded that he did not have either, according to police.

At the Park Forest Police Department, the arresting officer reviewed Mr. Johnson’s driving abstract and learned that the original DUI conviction occurred on September 20, 1996, according to the report. Mr. Johnson subsequently received five convictions for driving during a period in which his license was revoked pursuant to the 1996 DUI conviction. The convictions occurred on February 6, 2003, February 6, 2003, October 27, 2010, November 18, 2010, and May 30, 2014, according to police.

Felony Unlawful Possession of Title Documents/Altered Registration

Wilbert Voss III, 24, 3700 Linden Rd., Richton Park, was arrested on August 6 and charged with felony unlawful possession of title documents/altered registration.

An officer observed a gray Kia traveling southbound on Western Avenue approaching 26th Street. The officer recognized the Kia from an earlier incident, according to police.

The Kia had an Indiana temporary registration which the officer recognized, according to the report. At that time, that vehicle was parked and unoccupied on Hemlock Street, according to police. The officer learned that the registration expired on March 15, 2019, however, the registration displayed August 15, 2019. When the officer exited his squad car and examined the registration more closely he observed that the number “3” had been altered with a black marker to the number “8”, according to police. The officer issued a parking citation at that time and left the citation under the vehicle’s windshield wiper, according to police.

The officer curbed the vehicle in the area of Western Avenue and Elm Street. The driver and owner of the vehicle, Wilbert Voss III, allegedly confessed to the officer that he altered the Kia’s temporary registration after he received a parking citation, according to police.

Domestic Battery, Aggravated Assault

Courtney M. Garner-Owens, 26, 14000 Char Lane #2N, Crestwood, was arrested on August 6 and charged with domestic battery, aggravated assault, and criminal damage to property after police were dispatched to the first block of Marquette Street to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance in progress.

While they were on their way, SouthCom Dispatch told police that a woman allegedly ripped his shirt and tried to stab him with a knife, according to police.

Police spoke with one witness who reported hearing Ms. Garner-Owens allegedly say she was going to kill the man, according to police. The witness reported seeing Ms. Garner-Owens grabbed knives, according to police.

Domestic Battery, Resisting

Dakota M. Mabens, 23, 1110 N. Prairie Ave., Joliet, was arrested on August 6 and charged with domestic battery and three counts of resisting a peace officer.

Detectives observed a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta parked on the east side of Forest Boulevard facing north with the hazard lights on and the driver’s side window partially rolled down. The vehicle was parked directly in front of the Park Forest Police Department, an area where there is no parking permitted on either side of Forest Boulevard, according to police.

Signage is posted there indicating that no parking is permitted.

Upon approaching the vehicle, a detective heard the driver of the vehicle yell, “Get out of my car,” according to police. The detective who was driving conducted a U-turn and positioned the police vehicle behind the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen then move forward, possibly in an alleged attempt to leave, according to police.

A detective activated the squad’s emergency lights and curbed the vehicle.

A detective approached the passenger side of the vehicle and spoke with the front passenger, later identified as Dakota M. Mabens. The detective asked why the driver was yelling for Mr. Mabens to get out of the vehicle. Mr. Mabens related that the driver was his boyfriend and that they are in a relationship.

Mr. Mabens allegedly refused to provide his name and related that he was not driving so police do not need his identification or driver’s license, according to police. Mr. Mabens then provided his name and police learned that Mr. Mabens had an active warrant out of Indiana on a charge of intimidation with full extradition. A detective asked Mr. Mabens to exit the vehicle. Mr. Mabens allegedly refused and said, “Nope, y’all trying to arrest me for what?” Police advised Mr. Mabens that he had a warrant for his arrest out of Indiana.

Police told Mr. Mabens several times to step out of the car to which Mr. Mabens allegedly said, “no I do not, no,” according to police.

Police had to physically struggle with Mr. Mabens to take him into custody, according to the report.


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