An interesting evening...

Last Tuesday night, late in the evening, Andrea and I were hammering on our laptops on the couch when we heard a ton of crazziness outside. Cops were everywhere, in our alley/driveway, running through yards, speeding all over the neighborhood, and basically, on an all out man hunt! Not entirely sure what was going on, I grabbed my rifle in case we needed to scare off an invader, or something...! Since I only had blank rounds, I guess it might have been more of a liability than an assett? It was like we were watching cops, but in our backyard! I noticed that there was a squad car shining a light on our driveway for an extended period. So, I got curious... and noticed my car doors open? When it seemed safe, I walked out to see what was up? Apparantly, our Nissan had be broken into and the cops nailed them in the act? They took off on foot, hence the ruckess!

They never even got a chance to steel anything. Funny enough, one of the fuckers even left his back-pack in the drivers seat when trying to flee. It was loaded with cheap booze. The funny part was that the PD actually sent over a CSI unit to fingerprint our car and take photos? This, in addtion to what must have amounted to a 10 car police response, is why we have such high taxes in Oak Park. But I guesss it's worth it!

With that said, about 20 minutes earlier these guys had jumped my neighbor (they hit him in the head with a bottle, and kicked him in the face over 20 times.).... He's a cool, quiet 14yr old kid, who mows our lawn. So, when the cops asked me to file a complaint on the car burglary and go to court, I said hell yeah! I went to court on Friday and stood with the arresting officers and DA at the preliminary hearing. The defendants came straight out of county jail, sporting their DOC jumpsuits. I guess they couldn't post bond? Eitherway, they looked young and I sure as hell wouldn't want to be in their shoes. Turns out, I know the DA for the 4th district through mutual friends. We've hung out a few times at the same parties and he recognized me. Given the prior records and solid evidence against the defendants, he was pretty sure they'd do some time for the offenses, but mostly for probation violations. So, I might have to appear in court again in a few months. I'm willing an ready, since I see it as my civic duty, even if that does sound cheesy.

FYI: If you want to get a view of what the "real" America look like, spend a day in a County court. Jesus, that place is not only depressing, but disturbing... It puts things like social class, access to education, etc. into perspective. In that sense, I have a lot to be thankful for... and, I'm glad I was not there as a defendant!

READ ALL ABOUT IT:

WEDNESDAY JOURNAL
5/21/2009 9:39:00 PM

3 teens arrested for attempted robbery in Barrie Park

By BILL DWYER, Staff Reporter

This morning a judge in Maybrook Court ordered two Oak Park teens held on $200,000 bond for the battery and attempted robbery of a 14-year-old Oak Park boy Tuesday night in Barrie Park.

Robert L. Gholston, 19, of the 6100 block of Roosevelt Road, and Hughvon Polk, 17, of the 1000 block of S. Oak Park Avenue, are charged with attempted robbery and aggravated battery for striking the 14-year-old on the head with a bottle. A third teen, a boy from Lyons, faces the same charges and is in juvenile detention. Gholston and Polk were also charged with vehicular burglary.

Detective Commander Len Jorgenson said officers responded to a call of a car burglary in progress in the 1100 block of S. Taylor shortly before midnight Tuesday. When police pulled into the alley, three people in the car ran away. Polk was arrested immediately. Gholston was apprehended a few minutes later. The third person wasn't immediately found.

As officers were placing Gholston under arrest, a report of a robbery and battery in Barrie Park came in over the radio. Officers noted the similar descriptions in both cases, and conducted what's called a street show-up, during which the battery victim identified Gholston. Polk, who had already been taken to the station, was identified in a formal lineup the next day. On Wednesday, police arrested the other teen at a school in Des Plaines.

The 14-year-old boy was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.
In January, Gholston was found guilty of a single charge of robbery after robbery and aggravated battery charges for incidents in May and October 2008 were consolidated in a superceding indictment. He was sentenced to 18 months conditional discharge.

In the May 2008 incident, a boy on the 300 block of Garfield was punched and his iPod was stolen. In that case, Gohlston was arrested along with four other Oak Park teens.
In the October incident, an Oak Park boy was pushed to the ground on the 800 block of Highland; his cellphone and iPod were stolen. In that case, Gholston was arrested with two other Oak Park teens.

Polk, an Oak Park and River Forest High School student, was arrested in December for criminal trespass to a motor vehicle. On Feb. 20, he was arrested for a bail bond violation warrant related to that case. On Feb. 23, he was found guilty of criminal trespass and sentenced to two years court supervision.