Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A Park Forest man faces charges of felony burglary and possession of burglary tools after allegedly attempting to steal a car. The alleged endeavor to steal occurred in the parking lot of Village Hall in the middle of the afternoon. This is a busy area, and an officer on foot caught the alleged burglar, holding him at the point of a gun.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beating August 19, 2024
Felony Burglary and Possession of Burglary Tools
Police arrested Cai McGee-Jones, 24, of the first block of Fir St., Park Forest, on August 19 and charged him with felony burglary, felony possession of burglary tools, possession of a controlled substance, and resisting.
Police responded at 1:59 PM to the parking lot of Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive, to investigate a report of a man allegedly attempting to steal a Hyundai Elantra. The complainant was a police officer who advised that he had the suspect, later identified as Cai McGee-Jones, at gunpoint. Mr. McGee-Jones was inside the vehicle, according to police.
Mr. McGee-Jones then exited the car and fled on foot, according to police.
Search for Alleged Offender
Officers set up a perimeter when one officer saw Mr. McGee-Jones jump a fence into the backyard of a home in the 400 block of Victoria Circle. Another officer pulled into Victoria Circle and saw Mr. McGee-Jones running down the street. This officer drove towards Mr. McGee-Jones, parked, exited his squad, and pointed a department-issued Taser at Mr. McGee-Jones. The officer ordered him to get down on the ground.
Mr. McGee-Jones stopped running and walked towards the officer with his hands in the air. At this point, three other officers arrived and took Mr. McGee-Jones into custody.
When police searched Mr. McGee-Jones, they found a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis, and a bottle of prescription medication containing ten alprazolam pills, which were not prescribed to Mr. McGee-Jones, according to police.
During an interview at the police station, Mr. Mcgee-Jones allegedly admitted to breaking the rear window on the victim’s vehicle using a screwdriver. Then he entered the car to go to sleep. Upon entering the vehicle, he saw a vehicle pull up with flashing lights and tinted windows. Mr. Mcgee-Jones said a man then confronted him and pointed a firearm at him. Mr. Mcgee-Jones said he didn’t see a badge on the man and was unsure if he was a police officer, so he ran, police said.
Obstructing and Walking in the Roadway
Police arrested Jordan A Pride, 19, of the 300 block of Wheatfield Rd., Matteson, on August 19 and charged him with obstructing and walking in the roadway.
An officer patrolling at 11:07 PM in the area of Michelle Obama School saw an unknown man with a full face mask and a hoodie walking eastward on the roadway in the 500 block of Lakewood Boulevard. The officer considered this suspicious as the unknown man was walking on the roadway, police said. So, the officer exited his vehicle and approached the man to perform a pedestrian stop.
Two other officers arrived as backup.
The first officer told the man he was not supposed to walk in the roadway. He asked the man how old he was. The officer told him there had been an issue with underage juveniles walking around after curfew. Because of the facemask and hooded sweatshirt, the officer could not identify an accurate age range for this person.
The man says he’s walking home from work.
The man said he was not a juvenile and had no curfew. The officer asked where he was coming from. He replied he was walking home from Home Depot, where he worked. It was about an hour’s walk, the man said.
The officer told the man he needed to identify him since he was walking in the roadway, an alleged offense for which he could be ticketed. He also needed to confirm that the man was not a juvenile.
According to police, the man continually looked at his phone rather than answer the officer’s questions.
The officer informed the man that he was giving him a lawful order and that he had to identify himself. According to police, the man allegedly only gave his first name, Jordan, and no other information. He reportedly refused to identify himself and said he wanted to be arrested.
Police subsequently arrested the young man on suspicion of obstructing, placed him in handcuffs, and put him in the back of a squad car. At the Park Forest Police Department, the man still allegedly refused to identify himself and refused to let himself be fingerprinted, police said. Police police allowed him to make phone calls.
Man Calls Mom
According to police, the young man called his mother. Police spoke with the man’s mother, who identified him as Jordan A. Pride. Police ran Mr. Pride’s name through LEADS and confirmed he was indeed Mr. Pride.
According to police, Mr. Pride allegedly admitted to walking in the roadway multiple times as he spoke with officers.
When they tried to fingerprint him and provide him with the citation so they could release him, Mr. Pride allegedly became uncooperative and threatened officers. According to the report, he would not agree to be fingerprinted or have his photo taken because he did not want “to be put in the system.”
Violating an Order of Protection
Police arrested Maxwell B. Green, 33, of the 11,800 block of S. Peoria St., Chicago, on August 22 and charged him with violating an order of protection after police responded to an address on Manitowoc Street to perform a well-being check.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Jannah A. McNeal, 20, of the 3600 block of Western Ave., Park Forest, on August 22 and charged her with domestic battery and criminal damage to property.
Police responded to a home on Western Avenue at 1:22 PM to investigate a domestic disturbance. According to the report, the caller alleged that a woman was inside the home throwing items. When police arrived, they found that Jannah A. McNeal allegedly asked a family member for a ride to a pawnshop so she could sell her bike. She wanted to obtain funds to commute to Chicago for school.
The family member refused, saying the pawnshop would not offer Ms. McNeil as much money as she needed, according to police. Ms. McNeil allegedly became upset and began yelling. She reportedly began to throw items in the house, breaking a baluster off the living room staircase, according to police. She allegedly threw it toward a family member, striking her in the leg, police said.
Warrant
Police arrested Christopher A. Payne Jr., 23, of the 900 block of Ridge Rd., Homewood, on August 23 and processed him on a warrant out of Champaign County. An officer on patrol at 7:35 PM conducted a LEADS inquiry on a blue Ford and learned that the Illinois registration was suspended. Conducting a traffic stop, the officer curbed the vehicle at Westwood Drive and Sauk Trail. The officer spoke with the driver, Christopher A. Payne. The officer checked Mr. Payne’s identification on LEADS and learned that he had a valid warrant from Champaign County.
Warrant
Police arrested Micah L. Reed, 23, of the 400 block of Sandburg St., Park Forest, on August 24 and processed him on a Cook County Sheriff’s warrant on a charge of receiving/possession/selling of a stolen vehicle after police responded to the 400 block of Sandburg Street about a report of a disturbance.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Tejuan D. Smith, 41, of the 300 block of Osage St., Park Forest, on August 24 and charged him with domestic battery. Police responded to a home on Osage Street at 3:31 PM to investigate a domestic dispute report. Mr. Smith allegedly punched a relative in the eye as he stood in the kitchen of the home, 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.
