Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—Several bystanders, some north and others south of Sauk Trail, reportedly helped an officer track a drunk driver, police said. One group assisted after the officer saw a BMW allegedly run over a pedestrian crossing sign on Indianwood Boulevard. The officer lost sight of the car while negotiating a U-turn on Indianwood, which has a median strip north and south of Sauk Trail. It was then that bystanders north of Sauk Trail pointed the way. Other bystanders south of Sauk Trail helped out as well.
These reports are all from the same day in May. The third and final outlines the DUI arrest.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through May 23, 2024
Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon
Police arrested Kenny D. Flagg Jr., 20, of the 100 block of Sycamore Dr., Park Forest, on May 23 and charged him with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (a felony) and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
An officer saw a red Ford Fusion parked in a parking lot on Sycamore Drive facing north at 2:54 AM. According to police, the vehicle appeared not to be running.
The officer exited his patrol vehicle and approached the Ford, finding it occupied by at least one person, later identified as Kenny D. Flagg. Mr. Flagg was sleeping inside the car, and a woman was sleeping in the rear passenger seat, according to police. The officer requested a second unit to assist in checking on the well-being of both individuals.
When a second officer arrived, the first officer on the scene contacted Mr. Flagg, announcing that it was the Park Forest Police. The officer saw a burnt cigarillo in the center console and detected a strong odor of burnt cannabis, according to police.
The officer asked Mr. Flagg to leave the car, and he complied.
Mr. Flagg allegedly admitted to having cannabis inside the vehicle. The officer also saw a small plastic baggie containing one blue pill inside the car. Officers placed Mr. Flagg in handcuffs and escorted him to the rear of a squad vehicle.
An officer finds a Titan Tiger .38 Special.
Police began searching the car. According to the report, they found a green leafy substance in the center console and a backpack on the rear passenger floorboard. They also found a cup that had individually packaged baggies containing a green leafy substance, according to police.
After removing the backpack from the floorboard, an officer saw the handle of a revolver that was accessible to Mr. Flagg, according to police. The officer recovered the firearm and saw there were three live rounds in the cylinder, according to police. The officer unloaded the gun and put it into the squad.
Police learned that Mr. Flagg did have a valid FOID but not a concealed carry license, according to police.
The firearm was a Titan Tiger .38 special, according to police. The weapon cleared with no record.
The passenger told police she was unaware there was a handgun in the vehicle until she observed that, according to police. Police released her without charges. At the station, the arresting officer field-tested the blue pill. It came back positive for the presumptive presence of MDMA, according to police.
Warrant
Police arrested David E. Phillips, 57, of the 500 block of Antietam Street, Park Forest, on May 23 and processed him in connection with a Cook County warrant on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Police took Mr. Phillips into custody when they responded at 7:37 AM to a report of a domestic disturbance.
DUI > 0.08
Police arrested Ronald J. Orourke, 54, of the first block of Hilger to Court, Grant Park, on May 23 and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol with a BAC greater than .08, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
An officer traveling north on Indianwood Boulevard from Sauk Trail saw a gray BMW heading south on Indianwood Boulevard at 6:52 PM. According to police, the BMW drove onto the grass and hit a pedestrian crossing sign. It then went back on the road and continued southbound, according to police.
Bystanders Help
The officer activated his emergency lights and sirens to stop the car. However, when he performed a U-turn on Indianwood, the vehicle was nowhere to be found.
Several unknown bystanders signaled to the officer and pointed south, indicating the vehicle continued southbound, according to police. Another bystander told the officer that a car had crashed into the woods at Indianwood Boulevard and Monee Road.
With help from the bystanders, the officer arrived at Indianwood Boulevard and Monee Road and saw a gray 2001 BMW crash in the woods just south of the intersection. According to the report, the car appeared to be the same one the officer had previously seen.
A bystander told the officer that after the car crashed, there was a loud bang from the vehicle that sounded like a gunshot, according to police. The officer called for backup.
Four officers responded to assist.
Four officers from Park Forest arrived shortly after that as backup. They performed a high-risk vehicle stop and had the driver and only occupant, Ronald J. Orourke, get out of the car. The officer who pursued the BMW pointed his department-issued firearm at Mr. Orourke until officers took him into custody. Police handcuffed him and put him in the back of a squad vehicle.
Police noted a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from Mr. Orourke. Officers searched the vehicle and cleared it of any passengers. There were none.
While examining the BMW, police noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the interior of the car, according to police. The arresting officer also noticed that the BMW struck a ComEd electric box, according to police. Police then had Mr. Orourke get out of the squad car. They took the handcuffs off him.
Police: The driver doesn’t recall how much alcohol he drank.
After administering Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, the officer asked him how much alcohol he consumed. Mr. Orourke allegedly said he did not know exactly how much he had been drinking. He reportedly said it was a mixture of alcohol and beer, according to police.
According to the report, Mr. Orourke said he had been drinking at work and then left to drive home.
When asked, Mr. Orourke did not remember hitting the sign on Indianwood Boulevard and was unaware that he struck an electrical box at Indianwood and Monee Road, according to police. At the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Orourke consented to a breathalyzer test, which yielded a BAC of 0.187.
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, all the incidents in this report were captured on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers 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.
