DUI, Retail Theft, Drug Possession: Blotter

MONDAY, JAN. 5

DUI

Michael Burge, 68, of the 1300 block of Idlewild Lane, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08, failure to reduce speed to avoid an intersection and failure to yield at an intersection after a two-car accident Jan. 5, according to a Homewood police report.

At about 4:30 p.m., Burge cut off another driver in the intersection of 183rd Street and Dixie Highway, causing that driver to strike the passenger side of Burge’s car, the report stated. When police spoke with Burge at the scene, his eyes were bloodshot and glossy, he continually lost his balance, and his speech was mumbled, slurred and confused when he tried to explain what happened, the report added.

Burge told officers at the scene that he had drank a couple beers before that driving and then failed field sobriety tests, the report stated.

SUNDAY, JAN. 4

Possession of Controlled Substance, Manufacture and Delivery

Kareim Coverson, 27, of the 5800 block of South State Street, Chicago, was arrested and charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana after police found him slumped over a running vehicle in the middle of the road with cocaine, crack and other drugs in the car, according to a Homewood police report.

Police responded to a call at about 2:42 a.m., Jan. 4, of a sleeping or unconscious driver in a still-running Chrysler 300 facing eastbound in the 3200 block of 183rd Street, the report stated. The car had been sitting through six traffic light cycles, and officers observed the car to be in gear and Coverson’s foot on the brakes, the report added.

Officers tried, unsuccessfully, to get Coverson’s attention but eventually needed to use a lock-out tool to access the vehicle and remove the driver, the report stated. After Coverson was in custody, police searched the vehicle and found the following items:

• a bag of a green, leafy substance suspected to be marijuana found on Coverson’s lap
• two separate plastic bags containing alprazolam, the generic name for Xanax, in the driver’s side door handle
• a plastic bag containing a powdery substance believed to be cocaine, also in the driver’s side door handle
• a plastic bag with smaller, individually packaged pieces of crack cocaine, found in the driver’s side door handle, as well.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3

Criminal Trespass to Vehicle, Criminal Damage to Property

Sean Wynn, 24, of the 16400 block of Turner Avenue, Markham, and Jarvis Armstrong, 23, of the 15900 block of University Avenue, South Holland, were arrested and charged with criminal trespass to vehicle and criminal damage to property after a Jan. 3 incident at the Ridgeview condominium complex, according to Homewood police reports.

Wynn and Armstrong are accused of driving a vehicle between buildings in the 900 block of Olive Road, causing tire damage to the grass, the report stated. Police also discovered the vehicle they were in had been reported stolen from Michigan, the report added.

Retail Theft

Ivan Ojeda, 19, of the 16300 block of Wood Street, Markham, was arrested and charged with retail theft after being accused of taking two computer tablets from Menard’s, 17545 Halsted St., without paying for them, according to a Homewood police report.

The store’s assistant manager told police he saw Ojeda take two Polaroid computer tablets, totaling $239.98, from the display area and put them under his coat. Ojeda then left the store without paying for the tablets, but the assistant manager took him back to the store’s security office where they waited for police to arrive, the report stated.

Ojeda’s court date is Feb. 4.

FRIDAY, JAN. 2

Retail Theft

Christopher Hucko, of the 10000 block of Walnut Terrace, Palos Hills, was arrested and charged with retail theft after being accused with stealing more than 20 items from Jewel Osco, 17705 S. Halsted St., according to Homewood police reports.

The store’s security agent observed Hucko placing 21 pieces of merchandise, including food, home and cosmetic items, into grocery bags he brought with him and into his pants and coat pockets, the report stated. The security agent stopped Hucko as he left the store and recovered the items, which totaled $237.56, the report added.

Hucko’s court date is Feb. 4.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.