Woman Slammed with Nearly $3,000 in Unpaid Tolls: Police Blotter

FRIDAY, DEC. 21

DUI

Robert Hampton, 21, of the 200 block of W. 15th Place, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police stopped him near the intersection of 24th and Butler street for traveling with an expired registration, according to the report. Hampton was driving slowly, but continued for three-and-a-half blocks with police sirens and lights behind him before stopping. As Hampton told police he did have a valid drivers license they smelled alcohol on his breath. Before the officer could ask Hampton any additional questions, several people came out of a nearby house and began questioning him. Police took Hampton into custody, but he refused to take a Breathalyzer test. He received additional charges of driving with an expired registration, driving without insurance, driving without a valid license and failure to yield to an audible signal.

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THURSDAY, DEC. 20

Father-Son Battery

Jared W. Peterson, 23, of the 1000 block of Union Avenue, was arrested and charged with battery after his father told police the two were talking about Peterson's day when Peterson approached him and struck him in the face. Police saw swelling on the father's jaw, but he refused medical treatment, according to the report. The father said he believes his son suffers from mental illness and that it was possible Peterson had been drinking and taking drugs at the time. While police were at the scene, Peterson returned and was taken into custody. Police said Peterson seemed to be in a "normal state" at the time of the arrest and that he didn't appear to need any medical assistance. 

Phony Money at Radio Shack

An employee at Radio Shack, located in the 500 block of West 14th Street, told police a man in his late twenties came into the store and bought a few items. The man then went to his car and came back in, according to the report. Upon returning, the man asked for change for a $100, but was told he needed to purchase something. The man grabbed a 220 piece rotary tool set, worth nearly $40. He was very talkative and distracting as he paid for the item with what turned out to be a counterfeit $100 bill, according to the report. The man was asked for a telephone number to go with the purchase and gave one. Police traced the number to a man at a Steger address, according to the report.

Unpaid Tolls?

A 45-year-old Chicago Heights woman told police she received a letter from an attorney's office representing the Illinois Department of Transportation. After receiving the letter the woman spoke with an IDOT representative, who told her she had 42 unpaid tolls from May through September, according to the report. The representative told the woman the unpaid amount totalled $2,900. The woman told police she then discovered her front registration was missing from her vehicle and that she was unsure of how long it had been missing. The woman was unable to connect with the IPASS at the time, due to the site being down. IDOT informed the woman how to dispute charges and obtain a new registration, according to the report 

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Police report information is provided by the Chicago Heights Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions 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.