Tatitana Forest, 43, of Calumet City, is facing felony charges after being spotted driving a stolen vehicle and in possession of suspected crack cocaine Monday afternoon in Hammond.
According to court documents, around 2:50 p.m. on March 2, 2026, an officer in the 5100 block of State Line Avenue received a notification from a dash-mounted license plate scanner that a stolen car was discovered nearby. Police confirmed that the stolen vehicle, a Chevrolet Spark with an Illinois passenger license plate, had entered an automatic car wash at the facility.
Officers asked for backup and positioned themselves as the vehicle exited the car wash. The police boxed in the vehicle at the car wash exit and made contact with the female driver.
According to court documents, the woman initially described herself as “Tatianna Olanroia.” A records search through dispatch apparently yielded no results for the specified name. When officers inquired again, the lady allegedly supplied a different spelling of her last name, which again did not appear in law enforcement databases, prompting investigators to assume she was providing fake identifying information.
Police arrested the woman and transferred her to the Hammond City Jail. According to the affidavit, while jail staff was performing a pat-down search during Forest’s booking, a small clear bag containing a white rock-like substance slipped from inside his shirt.
Based on their knowledge and experience, officers assumed the substance was crack cocaine. Police claimed that the suspected narcotic weighed about 2.8 grams and that field testing revealed a positive result for cocaine.
Investigators later spoke with the registered owner of the vehicle, who confirmed that the 2020 Chevrolet Spark had been reported stolen near a dollar store in Chicago and that no one had authority to take control of it.
Authorities also discovered that Forest had an active arrest warrant out of LaPorte County at the time of the event.
Charges filed on March 3, 2026:
• Possession of Cocaine — Level 6 Felony
• Theft (Motor Vehicle) — Level 6 Felony
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