Police Blotter: Man Breaks Urinal, Charged With Property Damage

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16

Man Faces Property Damage Charges After Breaking Urinal

Tracy A. Cermak, 36, of the 3600 block of Emerald Avenue in Steger, was charged with criminal damage to property after ripping part of a urinal out of the wall at Morgan's, 18700 Old LaGrange Road. Cermak was pulled over after a Morgan's security guard called Mokena Police and said Cermak had left the bar driving recklessly. Cermak was transported to the police station—but not in custody—because he wasn't feeling well. The responding officer left Cermak to wait in the lobby for his wife to pick him up and reported to Morgan's about a property damage complaint, at which point the manager and security guard told him that Cermak had damaged a urinal in the men's rest room.

A customer who had been in a stall in the bathroom said he heard a man banging around, as well as noises that sounded like things breaking. According to the report, the man got out of the stall and saw Cermak, who looked upset, near a urinal that had the piping above it pulled from the wall. The man told a security guard, who escorted Cermak out of the bar after consulting a manager. The manager and security guard told police they didn't call police to report the damage immediately because they were more concerned with getting Cermak out of the bar.

While still at the station, Cermak was told he was being charged with criminal damage to property. He was released on $750 bond, and his next court date is Oct. 12.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15

Mokena Man Arrested on  Will Co. Warrant

Timothy J. Ignowski, 21, of the 18800 block of Dilbert Bay Road, was arrested at his home on an outstanding Will County Sheriff's warrant. Officers found Ignowski on the porch at his home, informed him that a warrant for his arrest was issued in Will County on Sept. 10 with no bond, and took him into custody. He was taken to the Mokena Police Department, processed, and transported to the Will County Jail, where he was transferred into the custody of the Will County Sheriff's Department.

The warrant stemmed from an incident in Frankfort where Ignowski .

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13

Unleashed Pit Bull Attacks Woman and Her Dog

John M. Tome, 37, of the 9200 block of Arquilla Drive, was cited after his unleashed pit bull bit a woman who was walking her dog in front of his home around 6 p.m. According to the report, the pit bull initially attacked the neck of the victim's dog and then bit the victim's right wrist, breaking the skin and leaving an inchlong cut, which appeared fresh and was still bleeding when she spoke to police. Tome then ran up, grabbed the pit bull and brought it inside.

When an officer went to Tome's home and knocked on the door, he saw the pit bull barking aggressively in the front window, and he could also see Tome trying to hide out of sight, behind the door. Once Tome opened the door and spoke with the officer, he said his dog had been good lately and that he'd been letting him run free without a leash, which Tome acknowledged was in violation of Mokena's leash ordinance. Tome told the officer that he was aware his pit bull had attacked another dog but was surprised when the officer told him the woman had also been bitten.

Tome couldn't find his dog's rabies vaccination papers or tags, and he told the officer he was unsure how long ago the pit bull had been vaccinated, according to the report. The officer cited him for the dog bite and told him he had to take the pit bull to a vet, adding that Will County animal control would be following up with him.

On Sept. 20, the officer went back to Tome's home and issued him a local ordinance bond sheet and a $750 recognizance bond pending a local court date of Oct. 9.

Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Bust

Tawfik Suhail Almasri, 21, of the 19900 block of Pinegrove Drive, was arrested and charged with delivery of marijuana and possession of drug equipment after a traffic stop at 7:05 p.m., near the intersection of 97th Avenue and Willow Lane. He also was cited for improper use of registration, driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance. A patrol officer performed a random registration check on the red 1998 Ford Escort Almasri was driving and stopped the vehicle when the registration came back to a 2006 silver Mitsubishi. When asked for his license, proof of insurance and proof of registration, Almasri could only provide his license, telling the officer that it was his father's car and he didn't know where the insurance or registration documents were.

When the officer ran Almasri's license, it came up as suspended. The officer could also smell the odor of cannabis coming from the car, according to the report, and he asked Almasri to step out of the vehicle and speak with him. Almasri said he was aware of the smell because he had allowed friends to smoke in the car recently. The officer instructed the other two passengers to exit the car and then searched the vehicle, finding traces of a green leafy substance which he recognized as cannabis on the floor of the rear passenger's side seat before searching the trunk and finding a Nike shoe bag containing a plastic baggie with 12 grams of the same green leafy substance as well as a digital scale with residue of the same substance on it.

Almasri told the officer that everything found in the car was his, and the passengers were released from the scene after they were searched. Almasri was taken into custody and searched. his iPhone was seized as evidence because of a visible text message that read, "I just served Rachel, I'll get u next," which the officer recognized as consistent with conversations between dealers and customers about drug transactions. A wallet containing $271 in cash was also found on his person, and the currency was taken and held for possible seizure.

Police report information is provided by Mokena Police, Will County Sheriff's Office and other 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.

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