A man whose blood-alcohol level was reported to be .441 escaped serious injury despite apparently falling and hitting his head on a railroad tie along the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad line west of downtown Riverside and lying there unconscious for some time before coming to and wandering into the Riverside police station just after 9:30 p.m. on June 7.

Police reported that the man, identified as a 47-year-old LaGrange resident, walked into the police station covered in blood, with severe facial injuries and lacerations to his knees. Riverside paramedics transported the man to Loyola Medical Center, where a blood test revealed his alcohol level.

At the time, the man said he thought he had exited a train in either Berwyn or LaGrange and had been hit by another moving train.

A witness said that earlier he had seen the man, uninjured but apparently intoxicated, stumbling along the north train platform in Riverside.

On June 8, a BNSF investigator stated he discovered a pool of blood 1,900 feet west of the north train platform. Blood was found between the rail ties and on one rail, leading the investigator to surmise that the man possibly fell and hit his head and was knocked unconscious.

Also on June 8, the man reportedly told police that after he exited the train, he felt a powerful gust of wind from a passing train that caused him to lose his balance and fall, striking the left side of his face.

The man stated he lost consciousness for an unknown amount of time before waking up and making his way to the police station.

Disorderly conduct

On June 4, Western Springs police charged a 15-year-old LaGrange girl and a 16-year-old LaGrange Park girl with disorderly conduct and obstructing a peace officer after a five-week investigation following in the wake of the threatening messages discovered in a restroom by Lyons Township High School officials on April 29, an incident that resulted in the lock down of the school’s South Campus, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road.

Both girls were released to the custody of their parents and will be petitioned to Cook County juvenile authorities.

Burglary to vehicle

Brookfield police reported that around 10:30 p.m. on June 4, someone smashed in the driver’s side window of a 2005 Infiniti parked in the rear lot of a building in the 8800 block of 45th Place and removed an Escort radar detector ($300 value) and a Garmin global positioning system unit ($400) from the dashboard.

The victim stated he heard a loud crash around 10:30 p.m. Police stated that a red station wagon was seen leaving the scene eastbound on 45th Place.

Possession of heroin

A Riverside police officer on patrol as a member of the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) force in Riverside on June 4 charged Craig D. Milder, 40, with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Just before 4 a.m., the officer reported seeing a man who appeared to be rifling through the contents of a pick-up truck parked on East Avenue. Asked what he was doing, the man, later identified as Milder, reportedly told the officer he had just moved into the apartment building there.

Handing the officer his ID, the officer reported recognizing Milder’s name from a prior investigation. After receiving permission to search Milder, the officer reported finding two tinfoil wrappers containing a white powder that field tested positive for just over 1 gram of heroin.

DUI

Riverside police charged John C. Kohler, 55, of Glen Ellyn with driving under the influence after receiving a 911 call from a motorist about a possible drunk driver on Riverside Road approaching Gage Road on June 7 just before midnight.

According to the witnesses, they were following a gray Honda while northbound on First Avenue and that the entire car was driving in the southbound lanes a few blocks north of Ogden Avenue.

They also stated that the Honda was driving “all over the road” while eastbound on Riverside Road in Riverside.

Police stopped Kohler in the 300 block of Olmsted Road and stated that he appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests. Kohler refused to submit to a breath test.

In addition to DUI, Kohler was cited twice for improper lane usage.

 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside and Brookfield police departments from June 2 through June 9 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not been adjudicated.

-compiled by Bob Uphues