Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through February 4, 2020


CSO Charles Harris 2019 Civilian Employee of the Year, PFPD
Community Service Officer Charles Harris, the Park Forest Police Department’s 2019 Civilian Employee of the Year. “CSO Harris is a well-known smiling face throughout Park Forest, a dedicated public servant and is a true asset to the Police Department,” the PFPD said in a statement. (Photo: PFPD)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports include arrests through February 4, 2020. Charges for those arrested include driving while license was suspended, DUI, disorderly conduct, and one man was charged with both domestic battery and aggravated assault.

Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use the word “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those arrested and/or charged have committed any offenses. We report on what is in the media reports furnished by police. As those charged are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.

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 Department Investigations 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.

Driving While License Was Suspended, Obstructing Identification

Brittany T. O’Neal, 31, 5158 Arquilla Dr., Richton Park, was arrested on January 25 and charged with one count of obstructing identification, driving while license was suspended, and expired registration.

An officer was traveling southbound on Western Avenue from Sauk Trail at approximately 9:03 AM when he observed a vehicle in front of him that allegedly had an expired registration, according to police. The officer curbed the vehicle on Steger Road just east of Western Avenue. He spoke with the driver, later identified as Brittany T. O’Neal, and asked her for her driver’s license and proof of insurance.

Ms. O’Neil allegedly told the officer that she did not have her driver’s license because she was driving a family member’s car, according to police. When asked for her name, Ms. O’Neil allegedly provided a false name and birthdate, according to police.

Ms. O’Neil was unable to provide any identification that she was the person she told the officer she was, according to police.

The officer saw a debit card inside Ms. O’Neil’s front left pocket and asked that she give the debit card to him, according to police. The debit card had the name “Brittany O’Neal” on it, according to the police. When asked if her name was Brittany O’Neal, Ms. O’Neil allegedly denied that was her name and again provided the first name she told the officer, allegedly telling the officer that the jacket she was wearing belonged to Ms. O’Neil, according to police.

Another officer responded to the scene and was advised of the situation. That officer searched a local law enforcement database and found a cell phone number for Ms. O’Neil, according to police. That officer asked the first officer to wait by the car while the second officer placed a call to Ms. O’Neil’s cell phone.

The cell phone on Ms. O’Neil’s lap rang, confirming to police that it was the cell phone belonging to Ms. O’Neil, according to police.

The first officer on the scene asked Ms. O’Neil to step out of the car and asked her for her age. She allegedly replied 46, according to police. A short while later, the officer again asked her for her age and she allegedly responded, “I’m 47,” according to police.

One of the officers then asked a watch commander for assistance and the watch commander sent the driver’s license image of the person Ms. O’Neil claimed to be, according to police. When police showed the image to Ms. O’Neil, she allegedly admitted at last that she was, in fact, Ms. O’Neil and that she knew her license was suspended, according to police.

Police placed Ms. O’Neil under arrest. She was charged and issued a court date of March 13, 2020, at the Markham Courthouse, according to police.

DUI

Khalif I. Mahdi, 34, 710 Circle Dr., University Park, was arrested on February 2 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, illegal transportation of alcohol, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

An officer was traveling north on Western Avenue from North Street at 1:37 AM when he saw a car traveling south on Western Avenue from Illinois Street. That car, a Kia Optima, was allegedly traveling at 59 mph in the posted 35 mph zone per the officer’s radar, according to police.

The officer executed a U-turn and caught up to the vehicle. The officer saw the vehicle’s right turn signal activate and the car began to move to the curbside lane. Halfway through the lane change, the vehicle activated its left turn signal for three flashes and then the deactivated it, according to police. The vehicle then activated its right turn signal on Western Avenue just south of Fir Street, according to police.

At the same time, the officer activated his squad’s emergency lights and began to initiate a traffic stop, according to police. The vehicle slowed down but continued approximately 500 feet south on Western Avenue and eventually turned west onto Main Street where it slowly rolled to a stop, according to police.

It took approximately 38 seconds for the vehicle to stop from the time the officer activated his emergency lights, according to police.

The officer approached the driver’s side of the car and spoke with the driver and sole occupant, later identified as Khalif I. Mahdi, according to police. The officer told Mr. Mahdi why he had been pulled over and Mr. Mahdi said that he didn’t realize he was speeding, according to police. The officer “immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from inside the vehicle,” according to the report. Mr. Mahdi’s eyes were also bloodshot and watery and his speech was delayed and slurred, according to police.

The officer asked for Mr. Mahdi’s driver’s license and proof of insurance. As Mr. Mahdi looked through documents in his glove box, the officer asked why it took so long for him to stop. Mr. Mahdi allegedly attempted to justify his stopping “with an incoherent explanation about his destination,” according to the report.

Another officer arrived on the scene to assist.

One of the officers saw a bottle of alcohol in the back seat and also saw an unsealed bottle of cognac on the floorboard behind the front passenger seat, according to police. It was “obvious that some of the liquid was missing from the bottle,” according to the report.

Mr. Mahdi continued to shuffle through the various papers that he removed from the glove box, including some previously issued citations, according to police. At one point Mr. Mahdi attempted to hand the officer one of the citations but returned it to his glove box prior to the officer responding, according to police.

Mr. Mahdi then gave the officer an Illinois identification card from his wallet and stopped searching for proof of insurance, according to police. The officer reminded Mr. Mahdi about the proof of insurance and he related that it was on his cell phone at home, according to police.

The officer administered standard field sobriety tests, after which the officer advised Mr. Mahdi that he was under arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police.

Mr. Mahdi’s vehicle was towed from the scene and impounded, according to police. Mr. Mahdi was provided a court date of March 27, 2020, at the Markham Courthouse, according to police.

Disorderly Conduct

Willett P.M. Alston, 28, 7346 S. Kingston Ave., Chicago, was arrested on February 2 and issued a municipal citation charging disorderly conduct after police responded to the first block of Park Street at 7:09 AM to investigate a report of theft. SouthCom Dispatch told the responding officer that a woman was reporting that someone stole $90 from her, according to police.

Upon arrival, the officer met with Willett P.M. Alston, who said that she met with a man at his residence in Park Forest and spent the night, according to police. She told the officer that she only knew the man via Facebook, according to police. Ms. Alston said that she woke up that morning and that $30 of her $93 was missing, according to police.

Ms. Alston later allegedly told the officer that she was only missing $20, according to police.

Ms. Alston told police that she suspected that the man took money from her purse while she was asleep, according to police.

The officer, another officer, and Ms. Walden responded to the address in Park Forest and spoke to the man who confirmed that he only knew Ms. Alston via Facebook and that they had just recently met, according to police. He confirmed that Ms. Alston stayed the night as she did not have the means to get back to Chicago, according to police. That morning, the man said she told him that she was missing $30 from her purse, according to police.

The man said he checked the area where Ms. Alston was sleeping and found a $10 bill in between two seat cushions on the couch, according to police. He permitted police to inspect his bedroom, according to police. The officer who inspected the bedroom was unable to locate any money, according to police.

The officer told Ms. Alston of the above and offered to give her a ride to a bus terminal to get a ride back to Chicago, according to police. Ms. Alston then allegedly began calling 911 while officers were still on the scene, according to police. The on-duty watch then commander responded to the residence.

Police again offered Ms. Alston a ride which she refused, according to police. After officers left the residence, Ms. Alston again called 911 and told SouthCom Dispatchers that she wanted her money, according to police. Police responded to the residence again, spoke with her about the incident, and she again refused a ride, according to police.

Police told her that if she called 911 again without an emergency she would be arrested, according to police.

At 8:13 AM, Ms. Alston allegedly called 911 again and told SouthCom dispatchers that she wanted her money back, according to police.

Officers met with Ms. Alston near the intersection of Norwood Boulevard and Westwood Drive and asked her if there was an emergency, according to police. Ms. Alston allegedly began to yell repeatedly that she wanted her money, according to police. Police again offered her a ride to the bus terminal which she refused and then she allegedly requested that she go to jail, according to police.

Ms. Alston was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of disorderly conduct, according to police. After she was issued a municipal citation charging disorderly conduct, Ms. Alston was released from the Park Forest Police Department and given a ride to the Chicago Heights bus terminal, according to police.

Domestic Battery, Aggravated Assault

Ali J. Jackson-Bey, 32, 257 Rich Rd., Park Forest, was arrested on February 3 and charged with one count of domestic battery and one count of aggravated assault after police responded to the 200 block of Rich Road to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.

When police arrived, the complainant told them that she and Mr. Jackson-Bey got into a verbal argument over her job, according to police. While they were arguing, the complainant said Mr. Jackson-Bey allegedly struck her across her face with an open hand. She said she told Mr. Jackson-Bey that she would pack her belongings and leave “if he continued to physically hurt her,” according to the report.

Mr. Jackson-Bey then allegedly started to strike her again in the face, this time allegedly grabbing her by the hair and also striking her in both of her years, according to police. The complainant tried to fight back but Mr. Jackson-Bey allegedly grabbed her jacket as she attempted to leave the residence and allegedly closed the front door on her leg, pinning her in place, according to police.

Mr. Jackson-Bey then allegedly pulled a pocket folding-style knife and allegedly jabbed it at the back of her arm to show her that it was a knife, according to police. Mr. Jackson-Bey then allegedly threatened to “slit her throat,” according to police.

At some point, the complainant was able to get away from Mr. Jackson-Bey, run out of the residence, ran down the street, and called police, according to the report.

One of the responding officers saw that the complainant had redness around her face and eyes and small cuts to both of her years, according to police. A small amount of blood was present, according to the report.

Police took Mr. Jackson-Bey into custody. He was later transported to the Park Forest Police Department and placed in a cell pending transport to the Markham Courthouse for a bond hearing, according to police.


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