Officers working with the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force on June 3 charged three people with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of hypodermic syringes after a traffic stop just after 12:30 p.m.

According to police, WEDGE officers saw a man get into a blue Dodge stopped in traffic in the southbound lane of Harlem Avenue at 16th Street. The officers followed the vehicle, which reportedly swerved across traffic lanes and the center line.

At Cermak Road, the officers pulled up next to the Dodge and reportedly saw a passenger in the back seat holding a small baggy containing a white powder and handing the baggy to a front seat passenger.

Police stopped the Dodge in the 3000 block of Harlem Avenue. While approaching the vehicle, an officer reported seeing a passenger place something in his waistband. The female driver also reportedly had a baggy in her front left pocket.

A search of the vehicle occupants and the vehicle itself resulted in police recovering eight syringes, a spoon with white powdery residue, a half of a pop can with white powdery residue and several clear baggies containing a white powdery residue of suspected heroin.

All of those charged are residents of Romeoville and include Colleen McGreelin, 27; Randy S. Loader, 28; and Crystal Miles, 23.

Battery

A 47-year-old Riverside man was charged with domestic battery after he allegedly grabbed his 37-year-old girlfriend and slammed her head into the front door of their townhome when she tried to leave the residence.

Police were called to the 7300 block of Ogden Avenue in Riverside just before midnight on June 3. When officers arrived they found the alleged offender, who said his girlfriend had struck him in the face. The girlfriend reportedly told police that her boyfriend was drunk and became irate, tossing a radio on the ground and throwing drinking glasses at her.

When she tried to leave, her boyfriend reportedly prevented her by grabbing her and then slamming her head into the door. Neighbors reported to police that fights between the two had been ongoing occurrences.

Joliet resident Candy S. Riley, 37, was charged with two counts of battery after she allegedly punched another woman and shoved a man during an altercation at Brixie’s Saloon, 9526 Ogden Ave. in Brookfield on June 7.

Police arrived at the scene just before 2 a.m. Witnesses told police that a blond female grabbed the hair of another woman and punched her in the head several times before being separated.

Bar bouncers pointed out Riley as the one who started the trouble. Both the female victim and an unidentified male agreed to pursue battery charges against Riley, according to police.

DUI

Summit resident Joel Garcia, 33, faces a charge of driving under the influence after he was stopped by Riverside police on May 24 for alleged erratic driving while southbound on Harlem Avenue from 26th Street just after midnight.

According to the police report, the officer following Garcia’s silver 2006 Buick stated the vehicle swerved across the center line several times before being stopped.

Riverside police charged Chicago resident Jasmine DeLeon, 21, with DUI after police stopped her silver Honda, which was reportedly traveling 57 mph in a 35 mph zone, drifting in and out of lanes and crossing the center line while southbound on Harlem Avenue from 26th Street just before 4 a.m. on May 25.

Police reported that DeLeon’s blood-alcohol level was .166, which is over twice the legal limit. When asked for her driver’s license, DeLeon reportedly handed the arresting officer a speeding ticket from Chicago.

Lyons resident Arthur Corral, 52, was charged with DUI by Brookfield police on June 6 after a traffic stop around 1 a.m.

An officer reported seeing Corral driving a red 2009 Mitsubishi Mirage with a flat rear passenger side tire southbound in the 3700 block of Prairie Avenue. After allegedly turning without signaling onto westbound Burlington Avenue, Corral drove west in the eastbound lane of traffic, police said.

During the ensuing traffic stop, police stated that Corral appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests. His blood-alcohol level, according to police, was .231, which is nearly three times the legal limit.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside and Brookfield police departments from May 24 through June 7 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. These cases have not been adjudicated.

– Compiled by Bob Uphues