Chicago DUI Lawyer Blog

Arsenio Garcia, 24, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DUI Saturday morning after allegedly striking a Chicago Police squad car. Police say Garcia was wearing only his underwear and socks when he was arrested.

Police were contacted by a concerned citizen around 11 a.m. when the vehicle in question was driving through an alley on the 2800 block of North Kostner Avenue on the city's Northwest Side. The vehicle eventually drove the wrong way on a one-way street and collided with a squad car that was responding to the area.

Police officials say that after the crash, the man opened the door and fell out of the car wearing only his underwear and socks. He was transported to a hospital for minor scrapes. The Chicago officer driving the squad car was also taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Garcia was charged with misdemeanor DUI, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, using an alley as a through street, driving without a license, no insurance, failure to reduce speed, and damage to public property. His first court date is scheduled for March 6th at the Daley Center.

Cops: Man wearing underwear, socks charged with DUI after striking squad car, www.chicagotribune.com, January 15, 2012

Drunk Driver Wearing Only Socks & Underwear Hits Cop Car, www.chicago.cbslocal.com, January 15, 2012

Officer Richard Bolling, 42, faces charges of aggravated DUI, reckless homicide and leaving the scene of an accident for a fatal 2009 crash. Bolling was off-duty and on his way home from a club when police claim he struck and killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker, who was riding bikes with his friend.

Cook County prosecutors claim that minutes after striking the boy, Bolling was curbed driving the wrong way down a one way street with blood splattered on his damaged windshield. He did not hit his brakes until he was pulled over by police. Police claim they found an open bottle of beer and a bag of White Castle hamburgers spilled on the floor.

Bolling was not given field sobriety tests until almost two hours later and officers claimed that he passed those tests. In addition, his BAC was tested four and a half hours after the accident, which resulted in a .079 reading.

Witnesses testified they heard Bolling's car rev it's engine and estimated the vehicle to be speeding nearly 70 mph in a 30 mph zone. Cook County prosecutors will likely call an expert to estimate his BAC at the time the accident actually occurred.

Bolling's defense attorney denies that special treatment was ever given to his client and he was fully cooperative throughout the arrest. He also claims that although his client admits having a few drinks before leaving the club, he was not drunk.

Defense: Cop in fatal DUI case got no favors, www.chicagotribune.com, January 11, 2012

Cop wasn't drunk when he killed bicyclist, 13, attorney says, www.suntimes.com, January 11, 2012

Hector Barajas, 23, was charged with driving under the influence as a result of a two-car crash that left one man dead and three other people injured. One of the vehicles hit a light pole.

One victim was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital an hour after the crash. Two of the other victims were taken to the hospital in serious to critical condition, while the third was in good to fair condition.

Along with DUI charges, Barajas was cited for reckless driving, driving without insurance and speeding.

Man charged with drunken driving in Southeast side crash that killed 1, injured 3, www.chicagotribune.com, November 14, 2011

Mike Stojanovich, 51, was described by prosecutors as "absolutely hammered" when he was arrested for his sixth DUI. Stojanovich was arrested after he rear-ended a car and subsequently fled the scene. He was found by police officers shortly after the crash.

Stojanovich admitted to drinking at least one bottle of vodka. He was reportedly unable to walk and was taken to the hospital for blood testing where he had a BAC over three times the legal limit at 0.30.

Stojanovich had been convicted of DUI in 1990, 1992, 1997, 2006 and 2009. He will have to serve at least four and a half years of the nine year sentence for his most recent DUI.

Elmhurst man gets nine years for sixth DUI, www.dailyherald.com, November 10, 2011

Eric M. Barth, formerly of South Elgin, was sentenced to five years in jail and must also participate in Illinois Impact Incarceration Program for severely injuring a couple in a December 2010 DUI crash.

Barth, 22, was driving a Chevy pickup truck when his vehicle crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and struck another SUV head-on causing a sedan traveling behind the SUV to strike both vehicles. The driver and passenger of the SUV suffered serious injuries. The passengers of the other vehicles suffered minor injuries.

Barth fled the scene of the crash but returned shortly thereafter. Responding officers found two empty and two unopened beer cans on the floor of the the front driver's seat. Barth's blood alcohol level was more than 2 1/2 times the legal limit at .207 percent. He plead guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI.

Man gets five years for injuring couple in DUI crash, www.suntimes.com, November 7, 2011

Julio Duran, 27, was charged with aggravated DUI after crashing into an auto repair shop in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood around 1:20 a.m. last Friday. Duran allegedly measured a BAC of .294, more than the three times the legal limit.

Duran was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He remained in the hospital on Saturday while a judge ordered him held on $250,000 bond.

Duran was also cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident, Driving on a Revoked License and Driving without Insurance.

Drunken southwest side driver charged for Mount Greenwood Wreck, www.myfoxchicago.com, November 6, 2011

Geno Green, 25, was charged with felony aggravated DUI after a crash that left a 52 year old woman severely injured. The victim, who's name has not been released, was crossing the street when Green allegedly struck her with his vehicle throwing her onto the pavement. She was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

Green has also been charged with Possession of Marijuana, Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian, Failure to Carry a Driver's License and Failure to Reduce Speed.

Court records show Green was previously charged with felony Possession of a Controlled Substance in 2010 but charges were later dropped. He was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in connection to a Traffic case earlier this year but those charges were also dropped.

Man charged with DUI in crash that severely injured woman, www.chicagotribune.com, October 26, 2011

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

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

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

A 50-year-old man from Washington, Stephen Dapogny, was pronounced dead 12 minutes after being struck by a Cadillac Seville on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive.

The driver of the Cadillac, Jimmy Members, was charged with aggravated DUI after striking the pedestrian in the roadway.

Members had allegedly been drinking and partying at a bar on the South Side when he and a companion decided to go to a bar on the North Side. Members was arrested at the scene after officers suspected the traffic accident was alcohol related. Two hours after the crash, Members blood alcohol content was 0.081 percent. Bail was set at $150,000.

Members was previously arrested for DUI in 2009 but charges were later dismissed.

Cops: Man charged in fatal drunk driving crash near Millennium Park, www.chicagotribune.com, September 26, 2011

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

Police were unable to release the name of a man charged with Driving Under the Influence after a crash on the Eisenhower Expressway.

The unidentified man crashed into a tree alongside the expressway after his SUV swerved off the road. Both he and a male passenger were trapped inside the vehicle and had to be extracted by Chicago Fire Department personnel.

Both men were take to nearby hospitals in serious conditions, however, their injuries were non life-threatening.

Driver cited with DUI in crash that injured 2 in Eisenhower accident, www.chicagotribune.com, September 5, 2011