Crime & Safety

South Suburban Drunken Driving Arrests, Oct. 30

It's good to start your DUI arrest with a smile for the officer, but not so good to conclude by wetting your pants. Nor should you invent your own sobriety test. A roundup of recent DUI arrests.

OCT. 23: Police said a Wisconsin man urinated on himself Sunday while trying to take a Breathalyzer test at the Tinley Park Police Department. Michael C. Dobson, 49, of the 7000 block of South Phyllis Lane in Franklin, WI, was arrested around 3:10 a.m. Sunday and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane use and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Police began following his car around 2:30 a.m. that morning on Oak Park Avenue after they saw it swerving about 1 foot over the painted center median, according to a report. When the officer tried pulling the car over, Dobson continued driving about two blocks, police said.

After stopping, according to the report, Dobson flashed the officer a smile as he opened the window and when asked why he didn't stop for the emergency lights, he said, "Hi, how are you?" He was brought to the station and while standing in front of the Breathalyzer machine trying to give his first sample, he began urinating on himself, according to the report.

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"Michael stated to me, 'I am sorry. I just had to go,'" the officer wrote in his report. "I asked Michael why he did not ask to be taken to the bathroom and he stated, 'Hey, it's human nature, sorry about all of this.'"

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OCT. 23: Ryan J. Dencek, 21, of the 9200 block of Westinghouse Court in Mokena, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol level over 0.08 and driving without insurance, police said. An officer saw Dencek make a turn without signaling around 2 a.m. at the intersection of 191st Street at Hickory Creek Drive. Dencek then drove onto the curb with the right tires, according to the report. Dencek's blood alcohol level was 1.5 times the legal limit, police said. Dencek was also issued traffic tickets for several violations, police said.

OCT. 21: Lisa Dipierro, 32, of the 9300 block of 83rd Avenue in Hickory Hills, was charged with drunken driving. She was stopped in the 12100 block of Harlem Avenue at 4:37 a.m. and failed all field sobriety tests that were given, police said.

OCT. 21: Michael Vanderham, 51, of the 8800 block of Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, was charged with DUI. He was stopped at 1:18 a.m. at 118th Street and Southwest Highway, police said. He failed all field sobriety tests, police said.

OCT. 19: Richard Bowlds, 23, of the 8700 block of 163rd Street in Orland Park, was charged with DUI. Bowlds was stopped in the 7200 block of 131st Street for a defective muffler and expired plates, police said. He showed signs of impairment and failed all field sobriety tests, police said.

OCT. 16: Brett Pine, 29, of the 8100 block of Octavia Avenue in Bridgeview, was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of drug equipment, possession of cannabis and driving without insurance. A witness saw Pine drive over a curb and into a construction sign in the 7100 block of 127th Street, police said. Pine was disoriented and lethargic and police found cannabis and drug equipment in his car, police said.

OCT. 19: Jesus Garcia-Gaspar, 20, of the 9800 block of El Cameno Lane in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence, no valid driver’s license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and underage consumption of alcohol. Police said they found Garcia-Gaspar sleeping in his car in the 9500 block of 144th Place around 4 a.m. He was described in the report as “incoherent” and “disoriented” with slurred speech and he failed field sobriety tests.

OCT. 18: Juan L. Delgado, 40, of the 8600 block of Shagbark Court in Orland Park, was charged with DUI and illegal transportation of alcohol. Police said they stopped Delgado’s car near 151st Street and Sunset Ridge Drive around midnight for driving without a license plate light. Delgado failed field sobriety tests, and officers found open beer cans in his car, according to the report. He was also charged with no rear registration plate light, no proof of insurance, driving on a suspended license and no valid driver’s license.

OCT. 16: Matthew Kulak, 27, of the 6500 block of 173rd Place in Tinley Park, was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane usage and improper turn. Police said they stopped Kulak’s car in the 14400 block of LaGrange Road around 4:30 a.m. after it almost collided with a squad car in the intersection. His eyes were described in the report as “watery,” his face as “red,” and police said he failed a Breathalyzer exam.

OCT. 15: Georgios Dragogiannis, 31, of the 16700 block of Sheridans Trail in Orland Park, was charged with DUI, improper stopping, texting while operating a motor vehicle and no proof on insurance. Police said they received a call about a reckless driver and found Dragogiannis’ car parked illegally near 108th Avenue and 167th Street around 11:30 p.m. with the engine running. According to the report, Dragogiannis failed to noticed the police lights and began creeping towards 167th Street, toying with his cell phone. When he finally stopped, he handed over a stack of tickets instead of his license, police said.

OCT. 13: Kevin J. Smetana, 45, of the 18000 block of Parker Road in Lockport, was charged with DUI and improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Smetana’s car in the 9600 block of 163rd Street around 9:30 p.m. for weaving in its lane and flipping his turn signal on and off without turning. According to the report, he tried performing his own field sobriety tests for police officers before being arrested.

OCT. 13: Police pulled over a car that was swerving between lanes, and crossed over lanes while turning, on 159th Street west of Harlem Avenue around 3 a.m. Police smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath and he failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. Ramon C. Martinez, 36, of the 100 block of Indiana Drive in Park Forest, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper turning and improper lane use.

OCT. 9: William J. McGuane, 39, of the 6500 block of Gibson Drive in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane usage, speeding, expired registration, no valid insurance and driving while license revoked. Police said they stopped McGuane’s car in the 15900 block of Will Cook Road around 2:45 a.m. for speeding and drifting across lanes. McGuane told police that “based on his lawyer’s advice” he wasn’t going to perform field sobriety tests, but police said he "smelled of alcohol."

OCT. 8: Catalin Lesinatu, 30, of the 8600 block of Lexington Circle in Orland Park, was charged with DUI, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed and leaving the scene of an accident. Police said Lesinatu caused an accident in the intersection of 151st Street and Orlan Brook Drive around 7:45 p.m., striking a street pole and then fleeing on foot, leaving a passenger behind. He came back to the intersection several minutes later and spoke with police, smelling of alcohol, according to the report. He was also charged with failure to give information after striking property and failure to report an accident.

OCT. 8: Fidel Ayala, 35, of the 400 block of Caldwell Avenue, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, police said, after he was stopped for improper lane usage and failure to signal. Asked to present his driver's license and proof of insurance, Ayala handed his wallet to the police officer, according to the report. After the officer ordered Ayala to present the information himself, he turned the wallet over and shook it until the driver's license dropped out, police said. Ayala was also charged with driving an uninsured vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.

OCT. 8: Marnita L. Nelson, 38, of the 2700 block of Western Avenue in Park Forest, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, police said, after she was stopped for weaving between lanes. When policed asked if she had been drinking before driving, Nelson said "no," according to the report. Asked a second time, Nelson said she had a glass of wine 30 minutes before driving, police said. A chemical breath test revealed Nelson's blood-alcohol content level to be above the legal limit, according to the report.

OCT. 8: Eric L. Caldwell, 21, of the 10000 block of South Carpenter Street, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after she was stopped for disobeying a stop sign, police said. Caldwell told police he had two beers before driving, and upon seeing Caldwell's "unsure gait," police had him take field-sobriety tests, which he failed, according to the report. Police also charged Caldwell with driving without a valid license.

OCT. 7: Ronald Alexander Jr., 37, of the 1100 block of Parkview Avenue, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, police said, after officers stopped him for  improper lane usage and driving at a high rate of speed. Alexander told police he was driving fast because he had an emergency. Asked if he had been drinking, Alexander said he had two beers, according to the report. Police said Alexander was too intoxicated to perform field sobriety tests.

OCT. 23: Stephen J. Mikan, 55, of the 9300 block of Fox Run Circle, was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane usage, illegal transportation of alcohol and driving without insurance after a traffic stop near the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Hunt Club Drive. His next court date is Dec. 1.

OCT. 22: Thomas A. Fisher, 25, of the 2400 block of Bluestone Bay Drive in New Lenox, was charged with driving under the influence, driving without insurance and resisting a police officer after a traffic stop in the 20200 block of LaGrange Road. His court date is Dec. 7.

OCT. 17: Jason M. Ringo, 25, of the 10400 block of Palos West Drive in Palos Park, was charged with driving under the influence, failure to yield and disobeying a traffic control device after being pulled over near the intersection of LaGrange Road and Lincoln Highway. His court date is Nov. 4.

OCT. 16: James T. Iser, 39, of the 13400 block of Medina Drive in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence and making an improper turn at an intersection after a traffic stop near the intersection of LaPorte Road and Lakeview Way in Mokean. His court date is Nov. 2.

SEPT. 23: Police said while an officer was running radar at 95th Street near Kedzie Avenue at 2:30 a.m., he heard a loud noise and saw a car drive west after hitting another car at 95th Street and Turner Avenue. It then drifted into the curb lane and hit a car, then the protruding curb, police said. When police stopped the car in the 3700 block of West 87th Street, it bounced off another curb. When Gus A. Adamopoulos, 35, of Munster, IN, got out of the car, police said they “smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.” According to reports, “Adamopolous was unsteady on his feet and needed to lean on the car for support.” Police said they gave Adamopolous a field-sobriety test, and be blew .165, approximately “twice the legal limit.” Police said they charged Adamopolous with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol above .08.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

DID YOU KNOW? UNDERAGE DRINKING AND DRIVING

Drivers under age 21 represent 10 percent of licensed drivers but are involved in 17 percent of alcohol-related fatal crashes.

If you're under age 21 and convicted of a DUI, you face loss of driving privileges for a minimum of two years, possible imprisonment for up to one year and a possible $2,500 fine.

Source: Illinois State Police


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