Parolee Arrested Trying To Get Boyfriend To Court On Time: Cops

OAK LAWN, IL -- A Chicago woman was arrested after she cut off several cars trying to get her boyfriend to court on time for a victim impact statement, reports said. LaDonna Ragsdale, 37, is facing felony charges of reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance. She is currently on parole.

Around 6:50 p.m. Sept. 24, an Oak Lawn police officer spotted an Escalade driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Central Avenue from 103rd Street. Police said the Escalade cut off several vehicles while changing lanes without using its turn signal. Officers were able to pull the car over at 95th Street and Central Avenue. The driver, later identified as Ragsdale, was immediately taken into custody for reckless driving and aggravated speeding, reports said.

During the traffic stop, another driver of a white Mercedes pulled up next Ragsdale’s vehicle. The driver of the Mercedes was visibly upset and told police that the Escalade almost hit her car while passing in the lane of oncoming traffic. Police said detectives found a knotted baggie of a powdery substance the gear shift in the vehicle. The substance is being submitted to the Illinois State Police lab for further analysis.

Ragsdale allegedly made several unsolicited admissions, in which she explained that she was driving fast so she could get her boyfriend to the Bridgeview Courthouse so he could attend a victim impact panel for his recent DUI arrest. OLPD detectives also found multiple open containers of alcohol, including half a bottle of MGD beer between the driver’s seat and center console.

Police also learned that Ragsdale was out of on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections, where she had been serving a three-year sentence for reckless discharge of a firearm. Ragsdale was allowed to make a phone call, where she allegedly told a friend that police had found a “suspicious narcotic” in her car, but it was only two grams and so she would be sent back to prison, reports said.

The passenger in Ragsdale’s car was released without being charged. Police said the passenger was a documented member of the Gangster Disciples.