Wayne Heidegger is accused of consuming at least 12 drinks before rear-ending a vehicle and killing a 24-year-old woman last month. He pleaded not guilty to the Matteson DUI this week.
The 49-year-old Heidegger is facing an aggravated DUI charge for the death of Stephanie Fisher, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
As 2011 rolls into 2012, there is no better time to think about all the crazy Chicago DUI arrest stories that took place.
So without further ado, here is our top five list of DUI stories from 2011:
As we approach the end of 2011, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that the number of Illinois DUI fatalities have been trending downwards since 2006.
IDOT says that the reduction in drunk driving fatalities is due in large part to the cooperation between state police and local law enforcement officers in enforcing DUI laws. And the agency vows that this enforcement will continue through the holiday season heading into the New Year.
For the next two weekends, any person who reports a drunk driver to authorities in Illinois can receive $100 from Drunkbusters.
Drunkbusters is a program run by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) that usually runs year round in Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Will, and Kane counties, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. However, for the next two weekends, the program has expanded state-wide, and anyone who reports impaired driving in Illinois can receive the $100.
College student Onofrio Lorusso was convicted of killing his friend in a 2009 DUI. Lorusso received a relatively lenient sentence and was currently on probation when he was arrested again for underage drinking last month. Lorusso now could face resentencing and face significant jail time that he avoided the first time around.
Two years ago, Lorusso was drinking with his buddy, Cameron Godee. Lorusso’s blood alcohol level was over three times the legal limit, but he drove his friend home anyway, reports the Chicago Tribune. Lorusso ended up slamming his car into a tree and killing Godee.
Sergio Galvez-Delira drove 11 miles down the wrong way of the Edens Expressway before he was stopped by police with the help from at least nine people who called 911 to report the drunk driver.
At about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday night, police received numerous calls of a wrong way driver on the northbound lanes of I-94, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. There were several calls along a route passing through Peterson, Touhy, Lake Street, Dempster, and Willow reporting an SUV traveling northbound in the southbound lanes. Callers described the driver as speeding and almost causing several accidents.
A Cook County man was arrested for a DUI after allegedly driving erratically, smelling of alcohol at the traffic stop, and failing a field sobriety test. Yet, a court found that there was no basis to make the arrest and ordered that the DUI defendant have his driving privileges restored.
Sounds strange doesn't it? Well, maybe if we told you that the DUI defendant is veteran Cook County judge James Gavin that would clear up why the DUI defendant received the relatively lenient treatment.
In a tragic Lake Zurich car accident, one ten-year-old twin brother was killed and another was left in critical condition.
The car crash happened when a driver of a one-ton pickup truck loaded with roof shingles ran a red light and struck a family car carrying the twins. The driver of the truck later admitted that he was under the influence of narcotics, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Robert Hudson was driving on South Boulevard when he pulled over and fell out of his car. Seconds later, a three-year-old girl let herself out the car. The man was clearly intoxicated, and when police arrived at the scene, he registered a blood alcohol level above 0.40, over five times the legal limit.
The 36-year-old Hudson has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence, child endangerment, and other charges, reports the Chicago Tribune.
An Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT) official who represented the department at safe driving events was arrested for driving under the influence in late November and is still at his job.
Carl Iacullo was arrested on November 20th in Wood Dale and charged with two counts of driving under the influence, improper lane usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Richard Almanza has been charged with a DUI and other traffic offenses for causing a crash on Chicago and Ashland Avenues in Oak Park.
Four people were hospitalized in the accident with two people receiving serious to critical injuries, reports NBC. Given the injuries, Almanza could face aggravated charges for the Oak Park DUI and face serious jail time.
There were five Waukegan DUI arrests reported over the Thanksgiving holidays.
The Waukegan Police Department had recently received a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety for increased DUI and seat belt enforcement in the days leading up to each of the major holidays, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
One of the best ways to stop drunk drivers is to take away their ability to drive drunk. With Illinois ignition interlock laws, this is exactly what the legislators hoped to do to repeat DUI offenders.
The Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) is a device that is installed into someone's car that requires the driver to provide a breath sample prior to starting the vehicle. If you have a blood alcohol level of below 0.05 you are fine and will be allowed to start the car. Anything higher and your car won't work.
