Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A Park Forest man police found sleeping in his running car had a BAC more than three times the legal limit, according to a report. This was the first arrest police made in July. Stopped in a fire lane, according to police, the man slept while music blared from his car, disturbing neighbors.
The man is lucky to be alive at three times the legal limit. According to experts, “A person with a BAC of .30 percent may lapse into a coma, and a BAC of .40 percent can result in death.” This man had a BAC over three times the legal limit, approaching .30 percent.
There are three other incidents here that close the month of June 2024 for us.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning June 29, 2024
Ticket: Possession of Cannabis
Police issued Danaviois A. Graham, 29, of the 3000 block of Chicago Rd., South Chicago Heights, a municipal ticket on June 29 charging possession of cannabis.
An officer saw a silver Chevrolet make an abrupt turn without signaling onto Park Street from Westwood Drive. According to police, the Chevy then made another abrupt turn without signaling onto Winslow Street from Park Street. It was 10:54 AM.
The officer activated the emergency lighting on his patrol vehicle and curbed the car in the first block of Westwood Drive.
The officer told the driver, Danaviois A. Graham, the reason for the stop. According to police, Mr. Graham “displayed a sense of nervousness.” Without the officer asking, Mr. Graham gave the officer consent to search his vehicle, according to police. Police found 11 individual plastic baggies with a green leafy substance, suspected cannabis. The officer issued Mr. Graham a municipal citation or ticket charging possession of cannabis.
This was not an arrest, and the citation was not a criminal charge.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Kevin E. Carter, 40, of the 100 block of Nanti Street, Park Forest, on June 30 and charged him with domestic battery.
At 12:05 AM, police responded to a home on Nanti Street to investigate a 911 hang-up. SouthCom said a female caller said the call was accidental and then hung up. SouthCom called back, and the woman alleged that a man hit her in the mouth, according to police.
When police arrived, the complainant said she and Mr. Carter were arguing about many things. She said she would be moving out. While lying in her bed, Mr. Carter allegedly intentionally threw her phone at her and hit her in the mouth, according to police. This caused a cut below her lower lip, which began to bleed, according to police.
Resisting and Fleeing
Police arrested Preston T. Washington, 24, of the 200 block of Kentucky St., Park Forest, on June 30 and charged him with resisting or obstructing a peace officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, driving with a suspended license, unlawful possession of adult cannabis, and disobeying a stop sign.
Police: Car Runs Stop Sign
On Sunday, June 30, at approximately 10:51 AM, an officer monitoring the intersection of Orchard Drive and Illinois Street saw a vehicle allegedly drive through the intersection without stopping at the stop sign.
The officer began following the vehicle, a green 2005 GMC Envoy. When the car reached the intersection of Orchard Drive and Indiana Street, the officer activated the overhead emergency lights and tried to effect a traffic stop. At this time, the patrol vehicle cameras began to record.
Police: Car Does Not Stop
The GMC turned onto Indiana Street and drove northeast. The officer briefly activated the sirens on his patrol vehicle. The GMC then allegedly turned onto Early Street, and the officer activated the sirens on his squad.
According to police, the car continued to Kentucky Street, heading south. Two other officers responded to the area to assist. The vehicle then pulled into the driveway of a home on the 200 block of Kentucky Street. The driver, later identified as Preston T. Washington, got out of the vehicle.
The officer ordered Mr. Washington several times to “stay in the car” while he allegedly walked away from the GMC. According to police, he held a brown bag in the air, then walked into the residence and closed the door.
The officer approached the GMC and saw that it was unoccupied. According to police, he then went up to the door that Mr. Washington had walked into, opened the door, and yelled within. The officer then walked back to the front of the residence. Two family members and Mr. Washington met him there.
Driver Returns to Car
According to police, Mr. Washington now held a child and had taken off a sweater he wore when he got out of the car. The officer ordered Mr. Washington back into the vehicle. Mr. Washington returned to the home, exited again, and got into his car. The officer met him there.
The officer asked Mr. Washington for his identification and asked how much more weed was inside the car. According to police, there was an overwhelming scent of burnt cannabis in the car. Mr. Washington gave the officer an Illinois State Identification Card and replied, “About a dub, 2.0,” according to police.
The officer saw partially burnt cannabis cigars in plain view and a Ziploc designer cannabis back, according to police. He attempted to perform a LEADS inquiry. However, SouthCom dispatch advised that LEADS was down at that time.
Driver Reports He Has Invalid License
According to police, Mr. Washington told the officer that his driver’s license status was invalid and had not been valid for “a minute.” The officer asked why he didn’t stop, and Mr. Washington replied that his son was ill. Police arrested Mr. Washington and took him to the Park Forest Police Department. After processing at the station, police gave Mr. Washington a Cite and Release with a notice to appear at a court date on August 9, 2024, at the Markham Courthouse.
DUI BAC Over .08: More Than Three Times Legal Limit
Police arrested Londun T. Evans, 33, of the 300 block of Juniper St., Park Forest, on July 2 and charged him with parking where prohibited, driving under the influence of alcohol, and DUI with a BAC over .08.
Noise Complaint
Police responded to a noise complaint in the 300 block of Juniper Street at 1:07 AM. SouthCom told officers that a white car was playing loud music in front of an apartment building.
When police arrived, they found a white 2006 Hyundai allegedly parked in a fire lane in front of the apartment building. Directly adjacent to the car was assigned that stated, “No Parking Any Time,” according to police. The area also had yellow curbs designated as a fire lane.
They contacted the driver and the only person in the car, Londun T. Evans.
Police saw that the vehicle was running, the keys were in the ignition, and the gearshift knob was in Drive.
Police Suspect DUI
An officer asked Mr. Evans to put the car in Park. While speaking to Mr. Evans, the officer saw that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, he had slurred speech, and a bag with cans of beer was in the passenger seat of the car, according to police.
Police asked Mr. Evans to leave the car, and he agreed. They conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests with Mr. Evans’s consent. After the tests, police told Mr. Evans they were arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
BAC Three Times Legal Limit
At the station, Mr. Evans submitted a breath sample, which, according to police, yielded a .251 BAC, more than three times the legal limit of .08. According to police, he had a mandatory court appearance on August 9, 2024, at the Markham Courthouse.
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.
