Law and Order, Local Police Reports, Park Forest

Sauk Village Man Charged with DUI: Park Forest Police Reports Through March 3, 2020


Sergeant Julius Moor
Sergeant Julius Moore of the Park Forest Police Department. (Photo: PFPD)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- These police reports include incidents through March 3, 2020. Charges during this period include a Sauk Village man who was charged with a DUI, a woman issued citations charging driving while registration was expired and improper use of a registration sticker, and others charged with driving while license was suspended, and one person arrested in Glenwood and processed on a Park Forest warrant charging domestic battery.

With these reports, we initiate a new policy to publish booking photos of those charged with DUIs. We hope this might serve as a deterrent and compel those who need addiction treatment to find such treatment.

Toward that end, we encourage those who believe they need treatment to contact Alcoholics Anonymous at 312-346-1475 or Narcotics Anonymous.

Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use the word “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those arrested and/or charged have committed any offenses. We report on what is in the media reports furnished by police. As those charged are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.

Providing more details than readers will find in any other police beat reports, we invite readers to subscribe to get the whole story, every day.

eNews Park Forest has always published 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 who have been charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.

An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. All those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest to not remove items in the public record from publication. If your name is listed in the police reports, 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.

Persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters including narcotics or gang activity are encouraged to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.

eNews Park Forest reports this information because the public in the United States has the right to know.  When that information is withheld or under-reported, it leaves questions.  We also want to show the work that the police force does every day that is not reported.  Police in Park Forest respond to thousands of calls per year, the vast majority of which do not end up with arrests.  Whether it’s conducting a routine investigation, pulling over a drunk driver, or responding to a possible theft at a store, the work of the police officer deserves acknowledgment by the public.

Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through March 3, 2020

Driving While Registration Expired, Improper Use of a Registration Sticker: NO ARREST

Dominique J. Harris, 25, 745 Red Oak Lane 1D, University Park, was issued citations on January 22 charging driving while registration was expired, improper use of a registration sticker, and driving while license was suspended.

At 2 PM, an officer observed a green Chevy traveling northbound on Western Avenue from Sauk Trail. The officer performed a check of the registration of the vehicle and learned that the registration had expired in September 2017. The officer followed the Chevy and observed that it had a white 2020 registration sticker affixed to the rear license plate, according to police.

The officer conducted a traffic stop on the Chevy which stopped at Western Avenue and Indianwood Boulevard. The driver, Dominique Harris, related that she was driving to a school in Hazel Crest to pick up her son who was having a medical emergency, according to police. Ms. Harris further stated that her driver’s license was suspended, which the officer confirmed.

When asked about the 2020 registration sticker on her rear license plate, she allegedly told the officer that she put the 2020 sticker from her other car onto this Chevy because the Chevy was in danger of being towed from her apartment complex due to lack of current registration, according to police.

The officer contacted the school in Hazel Crest and confirmed that Ms. Harris’s son was having an emergency and staff were waiting for a parent to respond, according to police. The officer permitted Ms. Harris to depart from the traffic stop and tend to her son and was told to come to the Park Forest Police Department at a later time to be processed on the traffic charges.

Ms. Harris later arrived at the Park Forest Police Department at 4:30 PM and was issued the citations. She was assigned a mandatory court date of March 13, 2020, at the Markham Courthouse and released on her own recognizance, according to police.

Driving While License Suspended

Terrika G. Hawkins, 29, 54 Bernia Ct., Lynwood, was arrested on February 28 and charged with possession of a controlled substance, driving while license was suspended, obstructing identification, and expired registration.

An officer was traveling south on Allegheny Street toward 26th Street at approximately 7:07 PM behind a white 2015 Chevrolet Malibu. The officer conducted a registration check and learned that the vehicle’s registration had expired on February 23, 2020.

The officer activated his squad’s emergency lights and pulled the car over on 26th Street just east of Allegheny Street.

The officer spoke with the driver, later identified as Terrika G. Hawkins, and asked her for her driver’s license and proof of insurance. Ms. Hawkins provided valid proof of insurance but allegedly said that she did not have her driver’s license or identification card with her, according to police. She also allegedly said that she did not have a credit card or any item with her name on it, according to police.

The officer asked her name and date of birth and she allegedly provided a name, according to police. In order to assist with confirming her identity, Ms. Hawkins also allegedly told the officer’s the last four digits of her Social Security number and that her last arrest was in 2019, according to police.

The officer asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and Ms. Hawkins stated that she had cannabis on her person. She allegedly reached into her bra and removed a plastic bag that contained a green leafy substance, suspect cannabis, according to police.

The officer retained the bag for evidentiary purposes.

The officer conducted a criminal history inquiry and learned that the Social Security number and the last arrest date that Ms. Hawkins provided were incorrect, according to police. The officer confronted Ms. Hawkins with this information and she then allegedly admitted her correct name, Terrika Hawkins, according to police.

The officer learned that Ms. Hawkins driving privileges were currently suspended, according to police.

The officer asked Ms. Hawkins to exit the vehicle and he placed her in handcuffs and secured her in the rear of his squad vehicle, according to police. The officer summoned a tow truck and began an inventory of the vehicle.

In the center console, the officer recovered a small clear plastic bag with one white oval pills which he was able to identify as hydrocodone, a schedule 2 controlled substance, according to police.

While still at the scene, the officer read Ms. Hawkins her Miranda Rights from a preprinted card while she was in the rear seat of the squad, according to police. Ms. Hawkins related that she understood her Miranda Rights and she voluntarily waived them, agreeing to speak with the officer, according to police.

Ms. Hawkins told the officer that she is prescribed hydrocodone for a medical condition, according to police. She said she ran out of her prescribed medication so she obtained two hydrocodone pills from her mother, according to police. She said that she took one and forgot that the other was in the center console, according to police. Ms. Hawkins allegedly said she knew it was illegal to possess hydrocodone in the described manner but thought she would never get caught, according to police.

The interview was subsequently terminated, according to the police.

DUI

Lamarr Morton
Lamarr P. Morton, 27, of the 22300 block of Murphy Avenue in Sauk Village was charged with a DUI in Park Forest on February 29, 2020. (Photo: PFPD)

Lamarr P. Morton, 27, 22335 Murphy Ave., Sauk Village, was arrested on February 29 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, aggravated speeding, and illegal transportation of alcohol. Mr. Martin was provided a court date of March 27, 2020, at the Markham Courthouse.

At 2:47 AM, an officer was traveling north on Western Avenue toward Main Street when he saw a vehicle approaching him traveling south on Western Avenue. The radar unit in the officer’s vehicle indicated that the vehicle was traveling at 84 mph in the posted 35 mph zone, according to police.

There were no other vehicles approaching the officer at the time, according to police.

The officer conducted a U-turn and caught up to the vehicle near Western Avenue and Indianwood Boulevard. The vehicle, now identified as a blue 2013 Dodge Journey, turned east onto Indianwood Boulevard, according to police.

\The officer activated his squad’s emergency lights to affect a traffic stop, according to police. The vehicle slowed down but continued to drive, according to police. The officer “chirped” his emergency siren as the vehicle turned into the entrance of Court G4, according to police. The vehicle then slowly came to a stop. The report says that it took the vehicle approximately 30 seconds to completely stop.

The officer approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, later identified as Lamarr P. Morton. There was a passenger in the vehicle who was not arrested or charged in this incident.

The officer instructed Mr. Morton to place the vehicle in Park, advised him of the reason for the traffic stop, and requested that he furnish his driver’s license and proof of insurance. Mr. Morton allegedly denied driving 84 mph and insisted that he was going “60-something,” according to police.

The officer detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the interior of the vehicle, according to police. The officer also found that Mr. Morton’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his speech had a “distinct slur,” according to the report.

Mr. Morton provided the officer with valid proof of insurance and a valid driver’s license, according to police.

Mr. Morton told the officer that he was coming from the Majestic Star Casino and initially indicated that he was driving fast because his son was crying at home, then said that he was arguing with his passenger, according to police.

The officer asked Mr. Morton how many alcoholic drinks he had consumed and he allegedly replied, “Not really but like one beer,” according to police. Mr. Morton elaborated that he had one Corona beer in a glass bottle, according to the police.

The officer asked Mr. Morton to exit the vehicle and advised that he would have to undergo Standard Field Sobriety Tests. Mr. Morton immediately said that he had injured both his legs and tore both of his ankles while playing basketball and was going to walk lopsided, according to police. Mr. Morton then agreed to perform the sobriety tests, according to police.

After the tests were administered, Mr. Martin was advised that he was under arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and was placed into handcuffs, according to police. A tow truck was summoned to impound the vehicle and the officer began an inventory search.

On the floorboard of the passenger seat, police found a 750 mL bottle of cognac. The bottle was empty except for a small amount of a brown colored liquid that smelled like an alcoholic beverage, according to police. The bottle was retained and later destroyed, according to the police. Police also found a small plastic cup in the map pocket of the passenger door that contained remnants of a brown liquid with the same alcoholic odor as the cognac, according to police.

At the police station, another officer obtained a breath sample from Mr. Morton at 3:46 AM which indicated that his BAC was 0.7, according to police. At the station, Mr. Morton continued to slur his speech, yell at officers, and allegedly refused to listen to instructions, according to police.

After he was charged Mr. Morton posted his Illinois driver’s license and $100 bond and was released, according to police.

Possession of a Controlled Substance, Warrant Charging Domestic Battery

Jasmin L. Ward, 30, 352 Indianwood Blvd., Park Forest, was arrested on March 1 and charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and processed on a warrant from Park Forest charging domestic battery.

An officer from the Glenwood Police Department responded to the Park Forest Police Department at 10:11 PM to turn over Jasmine L. Ward who had been arrested in connection with a Park Forest Police Department bond forfeiture warrant, according to police.

While conducting an inventory of Ms. Ward’s property, an officer discovered two small plastic baggies containing an off-white powder, suspected cocaine, in the front pocket of Ms. Ward’s Fanny pack, according to police. The suspect cocaine later field-tested positive for the presumptive presence of cocaine and was later entered into evidence, according to police.

Ms. Ward allegedly told police that she was not aware the cocaine was in her Fanny pack and believed that a friend may have put it there without her knowledge, according to police.


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