Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- At the end of June, police were extremely busy from June 20 to June 26. These reports detail only half of those incidents. They include charges of domestic battery, retail theft, theft of services, and battery, to name a few.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through June 26, 2023
Retail Theft
Police arrested Cordell B. Franklin, 29, 286 Ash St., Park Forest, on June 20 and charged him with retail theft. Police responded to a business in the one hundred block of South Orchard Drive to investigate a report of retail theft. Mr. Franklin allegedly walked out of the store with a bottle of Gatorade. He reportedly told police he took the Gatorade because he was thirsty.
Busy June: Domestic Battery
Police arrested Crystal K. Edlridge, 25, 257 Sauk Trail, Park Forest, on June 21, charging her with two counts of domestic battery.
Police responded to a home on Sauk Trail to investigate a domestic battery report. According to the report, Ms. Eldridge allegedly struck a woman in the face with her hand. Ms. Eldridge was also accused of allegedly grabbing a teenager by her hair and swinging her by the head using her hair, according to police.
Busy June: Domestic Battery
Police arrested Donye L. Davis, 28, 2860 Western Ave., Park Forest, on June 22, charging him with domestic battery.
Police responded to an address on Western Avenue to investigate a domestic battery report at 3:25 AM. According to the report, Mr. Davis allegedly kicked another man, striking him in his torso area. The complainant also accused Mr. Davis of striking him with a “tower fan,” according to the report.
A responding officer observed several scratches and marks on the complainant’s stomach area, arms, and hands. He also had two lacerations, one above his right eyebrow and the second on the left side of his head, according to police.
Theft of Services
Police issued a citation to Patrice D. Ellis, 33, 18066 Poplar Ln., Country Club Hills, on June 22, charging her with theft of services.
Police responded to the Park Forest Aqua Center about a report of an unwanted subject. According to the report, the manager dismissed an employee who returned with a relative. The two allegedly walked past the front desk of the Aqua Center without paying, entering the facility, according to police. The former employee left when the manager confronted them, but the relative, Patrice Ellis, did not, according to the report.
Busy End of June: Unlawful Possession of Cannabis
Police issued a municipal citation to Kia Young, 25, 17046 Shea Ave., Hazel Crest, on June 22, charging her with unlawful possession of cannabis.
An officer patrolling at 9:16 PM near Sauk Trail and Indianwood Boulevard allegedly saw a gray Nissan driving without headlights. The officer stopped the vehicle at Sauk Trail and Westwood Drive.
The incident Does NOT Include an Arrest.
The officer, while speaking with the driver, Kia Young, smelled a strong odor of burnt cannabis coming from the car, according to police. When the officer asked Ms. Young about the smell, she allegedly said that she had just smoked cannabis in the car a while ago before leaving home, according to police.
Based on this alleged admission, the officer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle. He found a bag in her purse filled with a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis. The bag was not a proper storage container for cannabis, according to the report.
Warrant, Battery
Police arrested Matthew A. Stewart, 27, 2925 Peach Tree Ave., Sauk Village, on June 22 concerning an arrest warrant out of Kane County, Wisconsin.
Police responded to Indiana Park, 433 Indiana Street, to investigate a suspicious vehicle report. It was 11:29 PM, and they found a silver GMC parked and unoccupied, according to police. Before leaving the area, one of the officers saw three people sitting in the park, according to police.
The group of friends said they were in the garage area of a home on Springfield Street, drinking alcoholic beverages. Two women there engaged in a “heated verbal argument.” During this, one of the women poured beer on another.
Cool-down Period
To avoid further confrontation, some of them left the house and went towards Indiana Park for a cool-down period, according to the report. The woman who allegedly poured the beer on her said she did not wish to pursue charges against the other woman.
Police made contact with Matthew Stewart at the home on Springfield Street. The report does say that police charged the other woman, Stephanie V. Mendoza, 25, 4417 Hollow Ridge Rd., Madison, WI, with battery.
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.
