Results tagged “dui”

A Northwest Indiana man with the last name "Duis" was pulled over early this morning and found to have a blood-alcohol level four times the legal limit, earning him a, yes, DUI. So already the young man is showing an extreme lack of judgment. But it carried over even further when the man told the state trooper who had pulled him over, "Dude, I do this every night; I'm straight up and not drunk!" A field sobriety and, later, breath test proved, yeah, dude, you were. [WBBM 780]

Dozens of family members and friends quietly gathered outside the Fraternal Order of Police hall where supporters raised funds for an officer accused of drunk driving and crashing into a vehicle that killed two men, Chicago Breaking News reports.

Meet Cheryl Reynolds, the worst mother in Chicago. On Saturday, Reynolds crashed her car as she allegedly reached for a bottle of alcohol in the car that had fallen onto the floorboard, causing her nine-year-old to smash her head into the windshield. Reynolds was subsequently charged with aggravated driving under the influence and ticketed for reckless driving, not having a valid drivers license, failing to wear a seat-belt and for operating an uninsured vehicle. The crash happened around 6:15 p.m. Saturday evening as the car crashed into a viaduct near East 83rd Street and South Jeffery Boulevard. Police reported yesterday that both Reynolds and her daughter were in stable condition. [WBBM, Fox]

An increasing number of Illinoisans are refusing to take a Breathalyzer test when asked by police, according to the Sun-Times. About 41 percent of people arrested in cases of drunken driving -- more than two out of five -- refused to submit to breath testing in 2007, according to data from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.

Mayor Daley said today that the Chicago Police Department will need to investigate if a police officer involved in last Friday's hit-and-run accident received preferential treatment; the officer struck a teenage bicyclist, killing the boy. Said the mayor, "I know the superintendent will be looking at that as quickly as possible ... They will have to investigate that, definitely." Allegations have arisen that the officer didn't receive a breathalyzer test until four hours after the accident. When he was given the test, he blew a .079, just under the .08 legal limit.

Chicago Police officer Richard Bolling is being held on $2 million bond following an alleged DUI hit-and-run that killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker early Friday morning. According to witnesses, Bolling was at a bar near 55th and Indiana earlier in the evening. Booker, who family members say had sneaked out of his house to ride his bike with friends, was allegedly riding north in the southbound lane of Ashland while Bolling was traveling south. Bolling, who was off-duty, hit Booker at the intersection of 81st and Ashland around 1:30 a.m. Friday, and allegedly continued driving without stopping. According to the Sun-Times:

• While no longer the state's top DUI locale as they were in 2006, Naperville was still No. 2 in 2008.
• A Wisconsin appeals court ruled last week that police in the state can attach GPS devices to cars for the purposes of tracking without a search warrant.
• Next up in furlough days: the Chicago Park Distrtict.

Cook County prosecutors have dropped DUI charges against Raymond L. Bell after viewing a video that they say proves arresting officer Joe D. Parker fabricated information in defending his decision to arrest Bell. Parker claimed in his report that after pulling over Bell on the evening of July 7, 2008, Bell "staggered" and was "unsteady" yet the video (below) shows a different story. Parker had previously won praise for being one of the leading DUI-enforcers in the state but in light of this incident, dozens of his prior arrests are now being reviewed and criminal charges could be pending against Parker; two other officers are also having their DUI arrests reviewed. Prosecutors refused to comment further on the case but Bell's attorney, Gregory Reeder, said, "If we didn't have the videotape, he could have gotten a conviction and lost his license. This was a blatant falsehood. They [prosecutors] definitely did the right thing." [Sun-Times]

• Joey "The Clown" Lombardo is the latest mobster sentenced in the Family Secrets trial: Joey received life.
• Uriel Soto-Castro, the man who hit three teens with his car on Friday, is facing aggravated drunken driving charges from the incident; none of the teens' injuries were considered life-threatening.
• The Sun-Times uncovered some rather disproportionately high salaries for some area educators.

• Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was completely evacuated this afternoon after a citizen reported seeing a man with a gun. After a subsequent search by police turned up nothing, the mall was reopened.
• A federal judge sentenced Paul Schiro to 20 years today. Schiro is the first defendant from the Family Secrets trials to be sentenced. While the jury had only convicted Schiro of racketeering, his sentence was longer because, according to the Sun-Times, "U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel found that the prosecution had proven by a preponderance of evidence that Schiro had helped kill [Emil] Vaci."
• Box maker Smurfit-Stone, who has a headquarters located here, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Such a filing would allow them to restructure their debt.

It appears aldermen aren't the only ones having problems with DUIs. Cook County Judge Sheila McGinnis pleaded guilty yesterday to DUI charges stemming from a May 2008 incident in Tinley Park. McGinnis hit another vehicle stopped at a red light and refused a field sobriety test; no one was hurt in the crash. While she faced up to a year of jail, she was simply fined $1,000, put on 18-months probation, and was reelected in November.

Alderman Sharon Dixon (24th) was arrested for DUI last night after an argument with police. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when Dixon approached a police controlled intersection in the 6900 block of North Sheridan Road. Police were controlling the area due to a fire and Dixon asked them to move their cars so she could get through. According to Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak, when the police told her she would have to move her car, Dixon got out of the car and yelled at the officers. The police simply charged her with obstructing traffic and no proof of insurance.

Actor Sam Shepard has been arrested for speeding and drunk driving in Normal. According to the AP, he was stopped about 2 a.m. this morning, for going 46 in a 30 MPH zone. According to reports, when he was pulled over, he drove up on the curb.

For the dipshits among us planning on getting absolutely 'faced and cruising home a couple nights from now, here's another thing to consider before you pour yourself into the driver's seat and hit the highways. Whereas a DUI on December 31st would be terribly expensive, time-consuming and have negative legal consequences on your life, a DUI on January 1st is even worse. How could that be, you say?

Chicago Police Officer Richard Francis, tragically killed in the line of duty early Wednesday morning, is remembered. [Trib, S-T]

Illinois is joining five other states with first-offense mandatory ignition-lock breathalyzers starting January 1. Currently, Illinois drivers who are repeat DUI offenders who want to drive with a suspended suspended license can have the locks installed, and about 3,000 have. The locks cost $150 to install and around $100 a month thereafter, all of which is paid for by the drunk driver. According to a spokeswoman for Illinois MADD, the dashboard devices are "90 percent effective in reducing repeat offenses." [S-T, Total DUI]

Following his DUI arrest, Walter Jacobson told the Trib that "I believe, and my attorney believes, that I am innocent."

Walter Jacobson was caught driving drunk last night in Lincoln Park. Police responded to a call that someone was driving erratically and had hit a parked car, and lo and behold, the offending driver was the 70-year-old Jacobson. Police say a Breathalyzer test showed Jacobson's BAL was over the legal limit. [Trib]

It's been just over a month since Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested for boating while intoxicated, and now Benson's in trouble with Austin, Texas law enforcement once again -- he was arrested last night and charged with drunk driving and was released from the Travis County jail this morning. Police pulled Benson over after he allegedly ran a red light, and based on the results of a field sobriety test cops hauled him off to the hoosegow, where he supposedly declined to take a Breathalyzer and blood test.

Here's what our local ne'erdowells have been up to while waiting in eager anticipation for tonight's Oscars:

About 40 local Red Cross volunteers are in California helping evacuees.

Well, isn't that convenient? After being cut by the Bears following his arrest for suspected DUI, Tank Johnson has signed on with a new team. And that new team just happens to be the Dallas Cowboys, who face the Bears this Sunday night. Maybe it's truly coincidental, but the timing of Tank's signing sure does seem particularly beneficial for the Cowboys. As they head into their week of practice in preparation for this Sunday's game,...

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,...

We're happy to report that mayors across the state are having a pretty good week. That is, if you think "pretty good" means "pretty good for people watching their crazy antics," which, of course, is why we are so happy to report it. Let's see what we have for them, shall we?

A speeding ticket. That's what ended Tank Johnson's career with the Chicago Bears. On Thursday, Gilbert, Arizona authorities notified Johnson that they declined to press any charges against him following his arrest last month for suspicion of DUI. Just days after the event, the Bears cut Tank. That move began to look a little premature as authorities revealed earlier this week that Tank's BAC was .072 -- under the .08 limit for DUI. They could...

See, they should have waited! The Bears cut defensive tackle Tank Johnson last week following his arrest in Arizona on suspicion of DUI, before even getting all of the facts in the case. At the time, we suggested that maybe they should have waited until the blood alcohol content results came back rather than making such a hasty decision. On Monday, the results came back and showed that Tank's BAC was .072 — below the...

Following his arrest early Friday morning on suspicion of DUI, the Bears waived Tank Johnson on Monday. In the team's release to the media, GM Jerry Angelo said, "We are upset and embarrassed by Tank's actions last week. He compromised the credibility of our organization." So what great crime ultimately lead to Tank's dismissal from the Bears? He was stopped for driving 40 mph in a 25mph zone at 3:30am in Gilbert, Arizona and cited...

Following Lindsay Lohan's lead, a Cook County man (FINALLY) agreed to plead guilty to driving with a suspended license after his 25th offense.

In light of the death of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, who was driving drunk at the time of his fatal accident, many baseball teams have re-addressed their alcohol policies for players. The Cards were the first team to ban alcohol from their clubhouse in the wake of this tragedy, with the Nationals following suit. The Yankees, who already banned alcohol in the home locker room, have now banned it in the visitors' locker...