Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—The end of the eighth month saw people two with weapons charges and one with additional child endangerment and DUI charges. Between these incidents, a teen received two tickets relating to unlawful possession of cannabis.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning August 29, 2024
Two Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon Charges
Police arrested Tre A. Hawthorne, 20, of the 100 block of Warwick St., Park Forest, on August 29 and processed him on two felony charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. One of the charges was one count of aggravated use of a weapon as Mr. Hawthorne did not have a valid FOID card and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and that Mr. Hawthorne was under the age of 21.
Two officers were traveling northbound on Western Avenue approaching the intersection of Main Street when they saw a silver 2012 Kia heading northbound on Western Avenue in front of them. It was 2:10 AM. Police noted that the vehicle allegedly did not have functioning registration lights to illuminate the rear registration plate. They initiated a traffic stop on the Kia on Western Ave., north of 26th St.
The driver pulled into the parking lot of the Shell gas station in the 2000 block of Western Ave., Chicago Heights. According to police, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was Tre A. Hawthorne.
One officer asked the driver to turn down the passenger windows due to the dark tint on the Kia. While speaking with Mr. Hawthorne, one officer saw cannabis residue, commonly referred to as “shake,” sitting on the center console as well as cigars on top of the radio. The officer stated that he saw the cannabis. Mr. Hawthorne allegedly said, “That’s just crumbs,” adding that it was a “mixture” of his and other individuals’ cannabis, according to police.
Police Discover Firearm
The officer also saw a tobacco vape and cigar packaging near Mr. Hawthorne. When asked about those items, Mr. Hawthorne allegedly said that it was a nicotine vape pen. He reportedly said he was 20 years old and below the legal age to possess tobacco or the vape pen, according to police.
Police asked Mr. Hawthorne to exit the vehicle. He complied.
They conducted a patdown on him with negative results for additional contraband, according to the report. Moments later, while searching the Kia, an officer found a loaded firearm in the locked glove box. At this, police put Mr. Hawthorne in handcuffs without incident, according to police.
The weapon was a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun with a loaded, extended magazine that had a 30-round capacity. The magazine held 28 rounds, and there was one round in the chamber, according to police. The Glock also had an auto sear device, commonly referred to as a “switch,” police said. This converted the Glock to a fully automatic machine gun, according to police. An Assistant State’s Attorney from the Cook County Felony Review Unit approved the felony charges, according to police.
Unlawful Possession of Cannabis in a Motor Vehicle
Police issued Shane O. Kizer, 18, of the 100 block of Lester Rd., Park Forest, municipal citations on August 30 charging unlawful possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle and unlawful use of cannabis in a motor vehicle. He had a mandatory court appearance of October 24, 2024 at the Park Forest Police Department regarding the tickets.
DUI, Child Endangerment, Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon
Police arrested Carl L. Dylan, 36, of the 16400 block of Ted Vell Avenue, Country Club Hills, on August 31 and charged him with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, DUI, possession of a firearm while under the influence, failure to secure a child in a proper safety seat, child endangerment, and disobeying a stop sign.
Five officers responded to the Wilshire Street and Wildwood Road intersection at 6:30 PM to investigate a vehicle crash. Upon arrival, police found a red Chevy Malibu and a blue Chevy Impala involved in the crash. Both cars had heavy damage with the airbags deployed, according to police.
The driver of the Malibu related that he was traveling north on Wildwood when he saw a blue Impala. According to police, the Impala allegedly did not stop at the stop sign on Wilshire Street. The Impala then crashed into his vehicle and spun around, according to police.
Police discovered that the driver of the Malibu did not have insurance for his vehicle. According to police, they issued him a citation for operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Paramedics treated him at the scene but did not transport him to the hospital.
Police: Other Car Had Children and a Weapon
Carl L. Dylan was the driver of the blue Impala, according to police. Other occupants in his car included two teenage girls and another girl only three-years-old.
While speaking with Mr. Dillon, one officer noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, according to police.
Mr. Dillon allegedly admitted to police that two of the children were not in a child safety seat. According to police, Mr. Dillon had glassy eyes and was swaying. As police spoke with Mr. Dillon, they were about to ask him to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests when the mother of his child approached him.
As she approached, Mr. Dillon allegedly took a firearm from his person and tried to hand it to her, according to police. Officers intercepted and took the gun from the woman. Then, they handcuffed Mr. Dillon and put him in the back of a squad car.
He allegedly told police that he had a FOID card but did not have a CCL, according to police.
The firearm, a Glock 40 3X, held one round in the chamber and 10 additional rounds (11 rounds of 9 mm rounds total), according to police. Mr. Dillon refused to perform any Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, according to police.
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.
