Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- During the week leading up to November 21, police arrested four individuals, one who flagged down an officer and asked for help. Charges included battery and domestic battery. One man was charged in connection with outstanding warrants after he flagged down an officer and asked for help getting home. Sometimes it’s best not to ask.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through November 21, 2022
Battery
Frank P. Clancy, 63, 299 Fir St., Park Forest, was arrested on November 16 and charged with one count of battery when police responded to the 200 block of Lakewood Boulevard to investigate a report of a battery in progress. According to dispatch, two men were fighting in front of the Area J Co-Op management office.
Police spoke with Mr. Clancy, who said that he just had a physical altercation with his neighbor. Mr. Clancy said several days ago, his neighbor asked him to pick up his packages that were scheduled to be delivered to his residence while he was on vacation, according to police. Mr. Clancy said he contacted his neighbor while he was still on vacation to ask questions about rumors he had heard, according to police.
The neighbor informed Mr. Clancy that the rumors were not true and that another neighbor was spreading false rumors, according to the report.
On this date, Mr. Clancy arrived at the Area J Co-Op office to use the management office’s fax machine, according to the police. While on the scene, Mr. Clancy saw the neighbor he had called and asked that they go to the neighbor’s residence who was creating rumors and ask that neighbor questions. Mr. Clancy said his neighbor then grabbed him and struck him on his arm, according to police. He said that he defended himself by blocking his neighbor’s arms and pushing him over a railing, according to police.
Police spoke with the neighbor and other witnesses, who indicated that Mr. Clancy was the alleged aggressor, according to police.
Mr. Clancy has a court date of January 27, 2023, at the Markham Courthouse.
Domestic Battery
James A. Darling, 19, 18 Bigelow Rd., Park Forest, was arrested on November 16 and charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and one misdemeanor count of obstructing a peace officer when police were dispatched to the first block of Bigelow Road after 10 PM to investigate a report of domestic battery.
When police arrived, officers spoke with the complainant, who was crying and visibly upset, according to police.
When the complainant arrived home, she said she realized that her workout trampoline was upside down and told another resident in the home about her observation regarding the trampoline. Mr. Darling, according to police, overheard the conversation and became upset, thinking that the complainant was accusing him of turning over the trampoline, according to the report.
Mr. Darling then allegedly began “tearing the home apart and disconnecting” the electronics of the complainant, according to police. The complainant said she tried stopping Mr. Darling from disconnecting her items, but when she did, Mr. Darling allegedly swung his arm back and struck her on the chin and bottom lip, according to police.
The complainant said they began tussling, and Mr. Darling allegedly grabbed her, according to the report. The complainant said she bit Mr. Darling’s arm so he would release her, according to police. After this, Mr. Darling allegedly threw the complainant several times around inside of the residence, according to police.
The complainant said that she did not require any medical attention and did not wish to sign criminal complaints but only wanted Mr. Darling to leave the residence, according to the police.
Mr. Darling was “highly irate and stated that he did not wish to talk to officers,” according to the report. Mr. Darling did state that he never touched the complainant but that she did bite him, according to police.
Mr. Darling did have a raised and swollen area on his left forearm, similar to a human bite mark, according to police.
When police asked Mr. Darling his name, he responded saying, “Fuck up,” according to police. An officer asked him, “Your name is ‘fuck up’?” Mr. Darling said, “Yeah.”
The officer asked his date of birth, and Mr. Darling allegedly cursed at the officer. According to police, they asked Mr. Darling several times to identify himself, but Mr. Darling stated that since he was inside his residence, he did not feel that he had to comply, according to police.
When Mr. Darling allegedly continued to refuse and allegedly continued to use profanity toward the officers, they placed Mr. Darling in handcuffs, according to the report.
Warrants
Joel R. Robinson, 41, 402 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago, was arrested in connection with a bond forfeiture warrant out of Alip charging retail theft and a bond forfeiture warrant out of Chicago charging trespassing after Mr. Robinson flagged down police in front of the Park Forest Police Department.
According to the report, Mr. Robinson flagged down an officer and said that he needed assistance getting back home and that he was new to the area. It was then that police discovered warrants.
Domestic Battery
Torreese D. Crosby-Cook, 28, 3322 Western Ave., Park Forest, was arrested on November 20 and charged with domestic battery when police were dispatched to a residence on Western Avenue to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance. Dispatch advised police that a man and woman at that address were involved in a physical domestic incident and that the father was holding a two-month-old baby and would not let go of the child, according to police.
When police arrived, they spoke with a woman who said that she was told that her daughter and Mr. Crosby-Cook had gotten into a physical altercation, according to police. The woman said she could hear her daughter and Mr. Crosby-Cook arguing, according to police.
Police spoke with Mr. Crosby-Cook, who said he was holding the baby he shared with the woman’s daughter, that he had been attempting to rock her to sleep and began playing soothing music for her, according to police. The mother of the child became upset and said she did not like the music that he was playing and wanted him to do what she said and follow her instructions on how to rock the baby to sleep, according to Mr. Crosby-Cook.
The two then engaged in a verbal altercation, at which time the baby’s mother asked for him to give her the child, but he refused, according to police. The child’s mother then allegedly became aggressive and would not leave him alone, according to Mr. Crosby-Cook, at which point he allegedly pushed her away from him, according to police.
Mr. Crosby-Cook was holding the infant as he spoke, according to police. Police ordered him to hand the baby to the child’s mother. He complied, and police advised him that he was under arrest on suspicion of domestic battery, according to the report.
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.
