Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—The following reports involve cases in which individuals were charged with possession of a controlled substance, DUI, violation of an order of protection, and domestic battery. The first incident in this batch occurred on September 3. These incidents include reports from September 3 to September 8.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning September 3, 2024
Possession of a Controlled Substance: September 3
Police arrested Tramel K. Robotham, 35, of the 13600 block of S. Crawford Ave., Robbins, on September 3 and charged him with possession of a controlled substance and issued him a citation charging improper Lane usage. An officer patrolling at 10:55 PM saw a black 2005 Cadillac Escalade allegedly swerved over the center lane on Sauk Trail. The officer curbed the vehicle at Sauk Trail and Western Avenue. The driver was Tramel K. Robotham, according to police.
Inside the car, police found an empty bag that Mr. Robotham allegedly confirmed was for cannabis. Police also found a pill bottle of peach-colored pills. Mr. Robotham reportedly told police that the pill bottle belonged to a relative.
Police determined that the pills were alprazolam, commonly called Xanax, a controlled substance, police said.
Violation of an Order of Protection
Police arrested Jamel D. Holmes, 41, of the 100 block of Westwood Dr., Park Forest, on September 4 and charged him with violation of an order of protection after police responded to an address on Western Avenue, Court F-6, about a report of an unwanted subject.
DUI BAC Greater Than .08
Police arrested Byron L. Taylor, 57, of the 300 block of N. Illinois Ave., Glenwood, on September 7 and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI BAC greater than 0.08, improper lane usage, illegal transportation of open alcohol, and possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle.
An officer patrolling at 1:53 AM saw a green vehicle heading northbound on Western Avenue from 26th St. According to police, the car could not maintain proper lane usage. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at Western Avenue and Illinois Street.
The driver and only person in the car was Byron L. Taylor, according to police. The officer detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle, police said. Mr. Taylor’s eyes were bloodshot, police allege.
Mr. Taylor provided his driver’s license and agreed to perform standardized Field sobriety tests. After the tests, the officer informed Mr. Taylor that he was arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. An inventory search of Mr. Taylor’s vehicle showed cannabis located in the center console and open alcohol bottles in the rear, according to police. At the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Taylor submitted a breath sample yielding a BAC of .133, according to police.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Kenneth R. Mathis Jr., 28, of Seminole St., Park Forest On September 7 and charged him with domestic battery. Police responded to a report of domestic battery on Seminole Street at 6:52 PM, according to the report.
DUI BAC Greater Than .08
Police arrested Alexis Anderson, 23, of the 9900 block of South Ave., Chicago, on September 8 and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol over 0.08, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Police traveling southbound on Orchard Drive approaching the intersection with Indianwood Boulevard at 1:58 AM saw a silver Mazda parked along the southern curb of Indianwood Boulevard with passenger side airbags deployed. The vehicle was empty, according to police.
Officers found a woman standing in the grass near the passenger side of the Mazda. They saw another woman walking away from the vehicle eastbound on Indianwood Boulevard, according to police. Police were advised that the woman walking away was the driver of the Mazda.
Driver Begins to Cry
Officers spoke with that woman, identified as Alexis Anderson, who immediately began crying and allegedly stated, “I hit the curb,” according to police. Ms. Anderson reportedly said that the “girl on the ground was hanging out the window,” according to the report.
While speaking with Ms. Anderson, one officer noted a moderate odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath, according to police. Police allege that she had slurred speech, which at times was challenging to understand, and also had red/glassy eyes, the report says
. Ms. Anderson told police she was heading home to Chicago and had just left Stacy’s Bar on Orchard Drive when she struck the curb, according to police. An officer suggested to Ms. Anderson that she must have hit the curb pretty hard for the airbags to go off. She allegedly responded, “Yeah,” according to the report.
After administering standardized Field sobriety tests to Ms. Anderson, police arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the Park Forest Police Department, Ms. Anderson submitted a breath sample, which showed a BAC of .103, according to police.
There was no booking photo of Ms. Anderson included with this 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.
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.
