Riverside police arrested a 28-year-old Chicago woman, April 16, for a hit-and-run accident she caused the day before.
Around 3:45 p.m. on April 15, two officers were dispatched to the intersection of Harlem and Ogden avenues on a report of a hit-and-run involving two cars. The victim told police she was driving south on Harlem Avenue in the right lane when another car passed her car on the right in the shoulder of the roadway. The woman said the other car, a black Jeep, struck hers on the right side when it moved to merge back into the traffic lane and did not stop afterward.
The officers observed damage to the right front door and fender with some black paint transfer. Police checked public security cameras and identified the car, including its license plate number, and found it was registered to a Chicago woman.
On April 16, police checked more cameras and found that the vehicle drives south on Harlem Avenue “almost every day” between 3-3:45 p.m. According to police, an officer waited at Berkeley Road for the car to pass and pulled it over. During the traffic stop, the officer learned the driver, who was the woman the car was registered to, had a revoked driver’s license. The officer arrested the woman, and she denied knowing about the previous day’s accident, though the officer noted white paint transfer on the rear driver’s side of the car matching what the other woman said.
The officer also smelled cannabis coming from the car, and, when asked, the woman said there was a small amount in the center console. Police recovered a small baggie of cannabis and later placed it into evidence.
Police issued citations to the woman for driving on a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident and improper lane usage. After being read her Miranda warning, the woman agreed to answer questions. She told police she had been driving south on Harlem Avenue around the time of the crash but denied that her car struck another car. She said she was driving in the left lane when she tried to get into the right lane, accelerating past and cutting off another driver. She said they both “flicked each other off” as they continued driving south, police said.
Police released the woman on pretrial conditions with a May 16 court date.
Drunk driver, child endangerment
Brookfield police on April 14 arrested a 45-year-old Brookfield man for driving drunk and striking two unoccupied cars. Around 7:30 p.m., an officer responded to the 3600 block of Park Avenue, where they saw two cars with damage to the driver’s side doors. The owner of both cars told the officer he had recorded the other car, a Chevrolet Tahoe, driving west on Sherman Avenue and followed on foot as the car parked on the 9100 block. The man’s neighbor exited the car and apologized for hitting the two parked cars; the man said he appeared intoxicated.
The officer went to the intoxicated man’s home, where they saw the Tahoe parked. The officer spoke to the man on his front porch. He said he had been at Sebastian’s Ale and Whiskey House ordering takeout with his 4-year-old son. On the way home, with his son in the backseat, he said he dropped his phone onto the floor of his car and his car drifted to the left, striking the two cars as he tried to pick his phone up. The officer noted the man’s breath smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred and he trailed off after recounting what happened.
The man provided a valid driver’s license and told the officer he would have to pull up proof of insurance on his phone. When asked, the man said he had drunk one IPA and one whiskey while at Sebastian’s “for a while” with his son. He said he didn’t provide insurance information to his neighbor because he knew he lived in the same area.
The officer arrested the man for three citations, including leaving the scene of an accident, and transported him to central lockup. After being read his Miranda warning, the man agreed to answer questions. He said he had drunk the one beer and a double whiskey over the course of about 90 minutes before dropping his phone while driving home and drifting into the parked cars.
While recounting the story, the man said he crossed the train tracks. When the officer asked why, the man said he misspoke and had actually gone to Irish Times, as Sebastian’s was closed. He reiterated that he did not give the other man his insurance information due to the proximity of their homes and was not “trying to get away with anything,” police said.
The man said he had only been home for about 30 seconds before the officer spoke with him and did not drink anything else after arriving home. He added that he had played the slot machines while at Irish Times after picking his son up from an aquatic center in McCook. His story remained consistent as he was asked further questions by police.
The man agreed to take field sobriety tests after the officer explained there was probable cause to arrest him for driving under the influence of alcohol. During the tests, the man showed multiple indicators of being impaired, including an inability to stay balanced. The man declined to take a breath test, and the officer told him he would be charged with a DUI.
The man declined a second breath test before police issued him citations for leaving the scene of a property damage accident, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving under the influence and child endangerment.
Police released the man on pretrial conditions with a May 13 court date.
These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated April 15 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated April 14-21 they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Correction, April 29, 2025, 4:25 p.m.: The subtitle of this story was updated to accurately reflect the dates of the police reports provided to the Landmark. We apologize for the error.
