Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Police were relatively busy during the last week of 2024’s first month. These reports for January 2024 begin with a man police were only going to give a ticket until he allegedly threw the citation on the ground. This alleged littering was enough to convince police to charge him criminally.
January 2024: Criminal Trespass
Police arrested Christopher M. Williams, 30, of 15321 Vine Ave., Harvey, on January 22, 2024, and charged him with criminal trespass and obstructing. They also issued him a municipal citation for allegedly littering.
Two officers responded to a business on the first block of Main Street at 8:19 PM to investigate a report about an unwanted subject. When they arrived, they spoke with a store manager who alerted them to Christopher M. Williams. The manager remembered Mr. Williams from previous incidents. The report said she was “adamant” about pursuing criminal charges against him. She wanted him to understand that he was not to return to the store and was banned. She told police that he would only understand if there were criminal charges.
Police advised Mr. Williams they would cite him and release him at the scene, not take him into custody.
Alleged Littering
Mr. Williams allegedly asserted that he did not know he was banned from the store. Officers gave Mr. Williams a citation. Mr. Williams reportedly began to crumble the citation in his hands. An officer advised him not to litter. However, Mr. Williams allegedly threw the citation on the ground, according to police. Officers advised him they would now charge him criminally.
Mr. Williams allegedly began to walk away from officers. As officers walked after him, he reportedly began to run, according to police. Police pursued him. Eventually, Mr. Williams slipped on ice and fell, according to police. Officers took him into custody.
January 2024: Criminal Trespass to a Motor Vehicle
Police arrested Lamont C. Wright, 65, 136 Bowman St., Matteson, on January 23 and charged him with criminal trespass to a motor vehicle.
Police responded to an address on Sauk Trail in an attempt to locate a stolen vehicle. SouthCom told officers that the complainant, Enterprise Rental Car, pinged the vehicle to Sauk Trail. Police found the car, a 2021 Ford Explorer, parked in the driveway of a home on Sauk Trail. There were four people inside.
SouthCom verified that officers found the car reported stolen by the Matteson Police Department.
Officers told the vehicle occupants to exit one at a time. Lamont C. Wright exited from the driver’s seat, according to police. According to the report, he told police that he was on his way to return the car.
Police took him to the Park Forest Police Department.
According to the report, Mr. Wright told officers at the station that he rented the Explorer in mid-December 2023 from Enterprise in Matteson because his car had been stolen. Mr. Wright said police never found his vehicle, so he had to use the rental for longer. He told officers he was waiting for a payout from his insurance company, according to police.
He allegedly told police he knew he had to return the car a week prior. However, he reportedly thought since Enterprise had his credit card on file, it wasn’t an issue, according to police.
January 2024: DUI
Police arrested Larry Collins, 66, 10741 S. Indiana Ave, Chicago, on January 23 and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper use of a turn signal, and illegal transportation of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
An officer was traveling south on Lester Road from Indianwood Boulevard at 11:48 PM. According to police, he saw a car ahead of him in the distance that allegedly had no taillights. The officer caught up to the vehicle as it turned west onto Sauk Trail and began to follow it.
The vehicle traveled in the curbside lane and activated its left turn signal as if it was going to switch lanes. It slowed down near Sauk Court and near Peach Street. According to police, both streets are only right turns from Sauk Trail. Ultimately, the vehicle continued to travel west on Sauk Trail.
The officer identified it as a silver 2023 Ford Escape. According to police, the car traveled 30 mph in the posted 35 mph zone as it passed Indianwood Boulevard. After crossing the intersection, the vehicle deactivated its turn signal. The Ford’s turn signal had blinked for more than 20 seconds without the car making a lane change, turn, or any other movement that required a turn signal.
Curbing the Slow-Moving Vehicle
The car sped up, straddled the curbside lane line, then slowed down again to approximately 30 mph, according to police. As it approached Shabbona Drive, the vehicle began braking at a green traffic signal, according to police.
The officer activated his squad’s emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop on Sauk Trail just west of Westwood Drive.
According to police, four people were in the car. The officer told the driver, Larry Collins, the reason for the stop. Mr. Collins provided the officer with a valid Illinois driver’s license and proof of insurance.
Police suspect DUI
While speaking with Mr. Collins, the officer detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. The officer noted that Mr. Collins allegedly had glassy eyes and a distinct slur, according to police.
An officer saw that the front seat passenger reportedly held his hand over a small plastic disposable cup in the center console. This officer asked that the passenger hand over the cup, and he complied. According to police, the liquid inside the cup smelled like an alcoholic beverage.
Other officers arrived on the scene.
Police asked Mr. Collins to exit the vehicle. He complied. Mr. Collins agreed to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests, police told Mr. Collins they were arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
At the police department, Mr. Collins allegedly told police he was not doing the breathalyzer test because he had been drinking for days and knew it was still in his system, according to police.
January 2024: Criminal Trespass to a Residence
Police arrested Patricia Christman-Zinhom, a former tenant of a home in the first block of Marquette Street, and charged her with criminal trespass to a residence. The landlord had the Cook County Sheriff’s Police evict her on December 11, 2023. Park Forest police were on the scene during the eviction. According to the report, Ms. Christman-Zinkhom previously returned to the home after the eviction. On this date, the landlord suspected that she was inside the house. Police found her inside the home, according to the report.
Ticket: Unlawful Possession of Cannabis in a Vehicle
Police issued Jerbreal C. Bentley, 23, Country Club Hills, a municipal citation on January 28, charging unlawful possession of cannabis in a vehicle, and another citation charging speeding.
According to police, an officer patrolled Sauk Trail at 12:11 AM when he saw a silver Jeep traveling eastbound from Shabbona Drive at 60 mph. The officer conducted a traffic stop and discovered a rolled cigar in the Jeep’s ashtray. Mr. Bentley allegedly admitted there was cannabis inside the cigar. The officer issued the citations, confiscated the cigar, and released Mr. Bentley from the scene.
There was no arrest.
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.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. 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.
