Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A young teen defended her home as two individuals allegedly attempted felony trespass. Police defused the situation as two from Chicago reportedly kicked in a front door demanding an iPad.
An iPad, allegedly. If true, that’s a lot of alleged trouble to go through and cause for an Apple device.
In other instances, one man was charged with domestic battery, another with suspended registration, and two with neglect of owner’s duties. The last case involved police finding a dog left outside in the elements for over nine hours. The animal was tied to a tire with a five-foot lead, and no shelter as a storm raged heavily.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning August 14, 2024
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Marvell D. Nelson, 44, Onarga St., Park Forest, on August 14 and charged him with domestic battery.
Officers responded to Onarga Street at 4:07 PM to investigate a disturbance report. SouthCom Dispatch told officers both parties were fighting. When police arrived, another officer said that Marvell D. Nelson was inside the house.
Three officers entered the house and met Mr. Nelson on the second-floor stairway. Mr. Nelson proceeded to come down the stairs, and as he walked to the living room, one officer asked if he had any weapons on his person. According to police, Mr. Nelson allegedly admitted that he had a handgun in his right pocket. Two officers secured Mr. Nelson’s arms and removed the handgun, which was a loaded Ruger .380 caliber handgun.
Suspect Sets Condition for Woman to Leave House
Mr. Nelson told police he got off work a short time ago and was very tired. He told police he was currently going through a divorce. He allegedly said he wanted the other party in the divorce to sign the paperwork so their divorce would be final, according to police. He alleged that she was not going to sign the paperwork because she was involved with another commitment with her brother, according to police. Mr. Nelson told her he was OK with that but wanted her to sign the paperwork. After she signed, he said she could leave with her brother, according to police.
Mr. Nelson alleged that the woman began to walk toward him and shoved him several times, according to police. Mr. Nelson admitted that he pushed her back to protect himself, according to police.
He alleged she shoved him several more times, according to police. He said after she allegedly pushed him one more time, he fell, according to police. Shortly after, another person at the home intervened and broke the fight up, according to police.
The Other Side
The other party in the alleged exchange said she was inside the house packing her clothes so she could leave for the commitment she had with her brother. She said when Mr. Nelson arrived, he asked where she was going, and she told him their destination. She said Mr. Nelson was upset and told her he did not want her to leave, according to police. She told him she was going and began to walk towards the door when Mr. Nelson allegedly grabbed her to keep her from leaving, according to police.
She said she pushed Mr. Nelson off of herself, and he allegedly grabbed her right arm again and slammed her to the floor, police said.
An officer speaking with her observed several bruises on her right arm that aligned with how Mr. Nelson allegedly grabbed her, according to police.
Suspended Registration
Police arrested Ryshir D Brown, 29, of the 1400 block of S. 16th Ave., Maywood, on August 16 and charged him with no insurance, no seatbelt, suspended registration, and possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle. The last charge was a Class A misdemeanor, according to police.
An officer was parked on Meota Street at 8:03 AM with his vehicle facing northbound toward Sauk Trail. As he monitored passing traffic, the officer saw a gray SUV heading eastbound. According to police, the driver allegedly wore no seatbelt.
The officer caught up with the vehicle at a red light at the intersection of Sauk Trail and Indianwood Boulevard. He saw that the car was a gray 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
The light turned green. Police said the vehicle allegedly made an illegal left turn onto Indianwood Boulevard from the passing lane of Sauk Trail. The officer activated his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle.
Speaking with the driver and sole occupant, later identified as Ryshir D. Brown, the officer told him the reason for the stop and asked for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. According to the report, Mr. Brown allegedly refused to retrieve his driver’s license, according to police. Instead, the police said he provided his name and date of birth.
Police said Mr. Brown was uncooperative and argumentative during the conversation. He allegedly hesitated to provide the last four digits of his social security number so the officer could confirm his identity.
While speaking with Mr. Brown, the officer saw a designer Ziploc bag of alleged cannabis in plain view on the front passenger seat, police said. The officer asked Mr. Brown to hand him the bag, and he did so.
Another officer arrived on the scene to assist.
Police: Man Refuses to Exit His Car
The officer who pulled them over asked Mr. Brown to exit the vehicle. According to police, Mr. Brown allegedly refused, stating that he did not consent to any searches.
According to police, the officer explained that police had probable cause to search the vehicle and did not need consent. The officer asked him several times to leave the car, but he allegedly refused.
The officer who pulled them over told him police would arrest him and charged him on suspicion of obstructing if he continued to refuse. This officer asked that an additional officer come to the scene.
A short time later, after the third officer arrived, Mr. Brown voluntarily complied, according to police.
Police found no contraband on Mr. Brown’s person but found four designer Ziploc bags in the center console, according to police. Each bag contained a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis, according to police.
Felony Criminal Trespass to a Residence
Police arrested Cassius Hope, 33, of the 8000 block of S. Ingleside Ave., Chicago, on August 16 and charged him with assault, felony criminal trespass to a residence (Class 4), and criminal property damage. Police also arrested Kiera J. Mitchell, 33, of the 7100 block of S. Champlain Ave., Chicago, and charged her with criminal trespass to residence and criminal property damage.
Police responded to the 100 block of Lester Road at 10 PM to investigate a disturbance report. While they were on their way, SouthCom Dispatch told officers there were people allegedly attempting to enter a home.
Teen Defends Home: Police Work to Defuse Situation
When one officer arrived, he saw another officer and a crowd of approximately six to eight people. They argued and displayed “a combative demeanor” against a group of three on the front porch.
Police report seeing a young teen with a large kitchen knife. According to the report, she was yelling and behaving like she intended to charge toward the group of three people.
One officer on holstered his Taser, pointed it at the teen, and ordered her to drop the knife. She complied, police said.
The police did not charge her.
The officer then spoke with a woman, the homeowner, and the teen’s mother. She said two people, later identified as Sarah J. Mitchell and Cassius R. Hope, kicked in her door and demanded an iPad, according to police. The homeowner alleged that Mr. Hope pointed a gun at her as they spoke, police said.
Mr. Hope refused to talk with police and refused to identify himself, according to police. He allegedly got in his car to drive to a different area of the parking lot, according to police. When officers learned of the allegation that Mr. Hope pointed a gun at the homeowner, one of them tried to speak with Mr. Hope again.
Man Allegedly Threatens Officer
According to police, as officers approached him, Mr. Hope allegedly continued to walk away from them. As one officer approached Mr. Hope, he reportedly threw his arm back towards the officer. He then allegedly turned aggressively to face the officer. While doing this, he allegedly balled up his fist in a combative demeanor.
This officer unholstered his Taser and pointed it at Mr. Hope, ordering him to stand down. At this time, police suspected that Mr. Hope had a firearm on his person. Police detained him in handcuffs and conducted a patdown, which yielded no weapons.
The homeowner told police she wanted to sign complaints against Mr. Hope and Ms. Mitchell. She alleged they kicked her locked door open, broke her door frame, and entered her home without her consent.
According to police, other people at the scene shared accounts of what happened that were similar to the homeowner’s.
Neglect of Pet Owner’s Duties
Police arrested Brandon Kelly, 31, and Dariel Roche, 26, both of the 100 block of Marquette St., Park Forest on August 16 and charged them with neglect of owner’s duties.
Police responded to Marquette Street at 9:04 PM to investigate an animal complaint. SouthCom Dispatch said they received a call regarding a brown pit bull in a home’s backyard that was tied to a tire and had no food or water. The caller, who refused identification, alleged the dog had been tethered to the tire since approximately noon when the owners left.
Dog Outside for Over Nine Hours
According to the report, the high temperature that day was 78°, and a thunderstorm had occurred within the last hour before police arrived.
An officer tried to contact the residents but was unsuccessful. He looked over the fence on the west side of the home but did not see the dog in the backyard. Subsequently, he walked up the driveway on the east side of the house and found the dog tethered to the tire with a lead that was 5 feet long, according to police.
According to police, the animal was soaked, shaking, and shivering. Two metal bowls containing water were near the dog, but the officer saw no food, adequate shelter, or protection from the weather.
Police took custody of the dog and transported it to the Park Forest Police Department.
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.
