Articles Posted in DUI

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Gabrielle Netzer, 22, was rushed to a near-by hospital after reportedly causing a crash on Interstate 55-70 near Collinsville. Netzer was allegedly driving under the influence when she entered the freeway going the wrong way and drove four miles before crashing into an oncoming vehicle.

Netzer was flown to a St. Louis hospital, her condition has not been released. The driver of the other vehicle, Christa Davidson, was treated at a hospital and released. Netzer was charged with DUI for the southwestern Illinois freeway crash.

Police: Woman accused of DUI in wrong-way freeway wreck in southwestern Illinois, www.chicagotribune.com, October 11, 2011

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Mark E. Ditka, 48, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, failure to display registration and speeding.

Deerfield police attempted to pull Ditka over when they noticed his vehicle did not have a front license plate. He allegedly continued to drive after police flagged him down and was speeding ten miles over the posted limit. Ditka reportedly had the smell of alcohol on his breath and slurred speech. His blood alcohol content was .16 percent, twice the legal limit.

Ditka, son of former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka, is the second son to be arrested on DUI charges. Ditka’s brother, Michael Ditka, has been arrested on three previous occasions, the most recent arrest occurring this past April.

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Juan Hernandez, 42, required treatment for minor injuries sustained after he crashed an ambulance he had allegedly stolen from Norwegian American Hospital. Hernandez reportedly stole the ambulance while paramedics were loading an empty stretcher around 1 A.M. Hernandez and the ambulance were found one and a half miles away from the hospital.

Hernandez was charged with two felonies, criminal damage to property and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He is also charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence.

Cops: Drunken man steals ambulance, crashes, www.chicagotribune.com, October 2, 2011

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Highwood Mayor, Charlie Pecaro, was arrested over Labor Day weekend for driving under the influence after officers witnessed him following too closely and driving with his headlights off.

A Judge agreed to a deferred judgement with a year of court supervision. As a result, the DUI will not appear on Pecaro’s public record unless he violates the courts terms, which would lead to a conviction for DUI.

Highland Park police did not release the arrest report until after the case had been settled. The report describes Pecaro as being cooperative and apologetic. Pecaro admitted to drinking five glasses of red wine at a family Labor Day dinner party. After struggling with four field sobriety tests, Pecaro’s blood alcohol content was 0.129.

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Sheila Kane, 30, was charged with aggravated DUI after she struck a bicyclist on the Near West Side. Witnesses at a bar reported seeing Kane consume six vodka drinks before getting behind the wheel of her vehicle.

Kane reportedly crashed into a barrier causing the vehicle to flip over before striking the bicyclist. The victim is in critical condition and on a ventilator after sustaining serious brain injuries as a result of the crash. Kane admitted to having three vodka drinks but refused testing. Kane’s blood alcohol content was .201 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Woman accused of drinking six vodkas before driving into bicyclist, www.suntimes.com, September 5, 2011

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Diana Paz, 35, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence during an early Friday morning stop. About two hours later she was released and dropped off at a BP gas station near the Eisenhower Expressway. Thirty minutes later she was struck and killed as she walked along the median of the expressway.

Paz was arrested for DUI after she refused a Breathalyzer and failed field sobriety test.

Paz’s family is questioning why the police released her so close to the highway if she was still under the influence. However, police said in a statement that she was “alert” at the time they dropped her off and that she had stated that she had “no family or means of transportation.” Paz requested a ride to a nearby gas station and, as a courtesy, the trooper dropped her off after obtaining approval from the supervisor.

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Bruce Brandwein, defense attorney for Alia Bernard, will argue that the “any amount” of marijuana law recently passed by the Illinois Supreme Court is unconstitutional and violates equal protection under the law.

Bernard was originally charged with reckless homicide, but aggravated DUI charges were filed after blood test detected some amount of marijuana in her system. She could face up to 28 years in prison if convicted. Bernard, 27, allegedly caused a fatal 9 vehicle pile-up when she rear-ended a stopped car and pushed the vehicle into an oncoming group of motorcyclist. Two people involved in the crash died and 12 others were injured.

Brandwein has motioned to have the aggravated DUI charges thrown out. Lead prosecutors on the case say they will fight Brandwein’s motion. Both sides will argue their positions in court on September 30, 2011.

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Michael Villanueva, 25, was pronounced dead at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood after a DUI crash on the Eisenhower Expressway near Oak Park.

Villanueva was standing outside his vehicle, which had crashed into a wall on the expressway, when he was struck by an SUV driven by a 61 year old woman. The woman was charged with driving under the influence as a result of the crash.

Villanueva was initially taken to the west suburban hospital in critical condition and died more than a week later.

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Annabella Loerop, 4, was killed when she was hit by a vehicle driven by an allegedly drunk teen.

The 17 year old, Deandre Wolf, has been charged with driving under the influence of marijuana and reckless homicide in the death of the four year old.

Wolf, 16 years old at the time of the incident, was driving a Buick when he struck Annabella as she ran into the street chasing after a ball.

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William Anthony Howe was driving a Porsche the wrong-way on Interstate 88 when he struck a vehicle killing a woman and her father and seriously injuring her husband.

Howe remains hospitalized. He has not yet been charged with the crash or been confirmed as the driver. However, witnesses reported he was swerving all over the road and throwing handfuls of cash out the window.

The victims of the crash, Farnaza Ali and her father, Sherali Shalwani, were both killed. Ali’s husband was hospitalized in critical condition.

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