Chicago DUI Lawyer Blog

Jorge Tamayo, 32, was the driver of a school bus that crashed and caused injuries to 13 freshman volleyball players. The school bus was traveling North on Route 83 when it crashed into a pickup truck en route to Woodstock for a tournament. The bus ended up on its side.

Tamayo, Libertyville High School Wildcats Volleyball coach, was cited for Failure to Yield while making a Left Turn for his role in the accident.

Bus carrying Libertyville volleyball team collides with truck, www.chicagotribune.com, October 22, 2011

Volleyball coach behind the wheel of bus involved in Grayslake crash, www. chicagotribune.com, October 24, 2011

Ashante Williams, 21, has been sentenced to two years of court supervision after pleading guilty to driving under the influence. As part of his sentence, Williams is required to continue alcohol abuse treatment, 125 hours of community service and pay a $1250.00 fine.

Williams was arrested in July with a BAC of .177 percent, over twice the legal limit. He was suspended from the University of Illinois football team after his arrest but has since rejoined the team.

Court supervision is a non-conviction disposition in Illinois. The sentence will not appear on his public record if he completes the terms of his sentence satisfactorily.

Illinios linebacker sentenced for DUI, www.chicagotribune.com, October 21, 2011

Joleena Ramos, 23, was charged with two counts of DUI after she crashed her car into a Chili's restaurant in the Morgan Park neighborhood. The crash caused a small fire in the restaurant which was quickly extinguished. Eight people were sent to several nearby hospitals.

Ramos was found behind the wheel of her car after the crash. In addition to driving under the influence, she was also cited for driving on a suspended license, driving without insurance, damage to public property, and failure to reduce speed.

Woman ticketed for DUI after weekend restaurant crash, www.chicagotribune.com, October 17, 2011

Marlon Dampier, 24, was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of a fatal 2008 roller rink parking lot crash. Dampier plead guilty to driving under the influence at Markham Court House earlier this month.

Dampier's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the limit at .157 percent when he crashed into another car in the parking lot of the Markham Roller Rink. The other car rolled over from the force of the collision and a passenger, Johnathan Fultz, was injured. Fultz later died from his injuries while three other passengers suffered severe injuries.

Dampier was detained by witnesses as he attempted to flee the scene.

Man is sentenced to 10 years in fatal DUI, www.suntimes.com, October 12, 2011

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

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.

Another Ditka son accused of driving drunk, www.suntimes.com, October 3, 2011

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

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.

Pecaro said he felt fine when he had left the party and did not realize he was not fit to drive. "It makes you stop and think," Pecaro said. "Drink responsibly and plan ahead, even if you're just with family."

Highwood mayor on DUI arrest: 'I let my guard down', www.triblocal.com, September 24, 2011