Man crashes SUV onto railroad tracks

A 24-year-old Berwyn man faces misdemeanor drunk-driving charges after he allegedly drove his 2003 Saturn SUV onto the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad tracks just east of Prairie Avenue about 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 24.

According to Brookfield police, the SUV was headed southeast on Grand Boulevard but apparently kept going in that direction, over the parkway and embankment, through a fence and then over the platform and onto the tracks.

The SUV came to rest about 50 feet east of the intersection on the center set of tracks. The car was heavily damaged and airbags had deployed. When police arrived, the driver reportedly was sitting down on the tracks next to the driver’s side door.

Police immediately notified BNSF of the situation and the railroad shut down rail traffic on the line for about two hours while police cleared the scene.

According to the police report, the driver appeared intoxicated and officers allegedly found an open can of beer in a cup holder inside the SUV. The driver was taken to LaGrange Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries and then released into police custody.

A blood draw at the hospital reportedly revealed the driver’s blood-alcohol level to be more than the legal limit of .08.

In addition to DUI, the driver was cited for improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, illegal transportation of alcohol and driving on the sidewalk.

He has a Dec. 24 court date at the Maybrook courthouse.

Alley items spark altercation

A 57-year-old North Riverside man was charged with misdemeanor battery after he allegedly slammed a car door onto the leg of a 45-year-old North Riverside man he suspected of taking something from the alley behind a business in the 8400 block of Cermak Road, North Riverside.

According to the police report, the victim saw a fax machine and a gym bag on the ground near a dumpster, so he got out of his car to have a closer look.

While doing so, the alleged offender pulled into the alley and accused the victim of stealing from him. Reportedly afraid the man would hit him, the victim got into his car. At that time the offender reportedly slammed the car door three or four times onto the victim’s leg, which was still outside the vehicle.

The driver’s side door was bent in the process, according to the report, and no longer closed properly.

Student allegedly assaults teacher

A 16-year-old Brookfield boy was charged with aggravated battery, a felony, after he allegedly assaulted a substitute teacher at Riverside-Brookfield High School on the morning of Nov. 20.

According to Riverside police, the male substitute teacher separated two students who were shouting at each other inside a classroom. The 16-year-old was told to go to the front of the class, and he did so, reportedly pushing away desks in the process.

While walking to the front of the room, the boy made eye contact with the student he was arguing with and started toward him again. As the teacher intervened, the 16-year-old reportedly shoved the teacher and then allegedly wrapped both hands around the teacher’s throat.

The teacher defused the situation and no one was injured. The offending student was detained until police arrived.

Because the boy allegedly assaulted a teacher on school grounds, the battery charge was automatically upgraded to felony status, said Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. The case will be handled through Cook County Juvenile Court.

Arrested twice in a week

Riverside police arrested a 16-year-old boy from Brookfield twice last week, on consecutive days, related to theft complaints lodged at Riverside-Brookfield High School.

On Nov. 19, police arrested the boy and charged him with theft after he was found reportedly to be wearing gym shoes that had been stolen the previous day. The owner of the shoes reportedly recognized the shoes the boy was wearing.

Police on Nov. 20 arrested the boy again, this time in connection with the theft of a cellphone, iPad, headphones and cash from a school locker during the school day. Surveillance cameras at the school reportedly captured the theft during sixth period on Nov. 18.

The boy was released to his parents and petitioned to juvenile authorities for two counts of theft.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Nov. 18-24, 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