Riverside police arrested a man for driving drunk March 5 after noticing his license plates didn’t match his car.
Around 11 p.m., an officer on patrol on Harlem Avenue near Ogden Avenue noticed a green Jeep, but, after running the license plate number through the police database, the officer learned the plates were registered to a red Ford, so they pulled the car over into the White Castle parking lot near the intersection.
After the car came to a stop, the officer saw the driver get out and walk slowly toward the trunk while staggering. The officer ordered the man to stop and turn around with his hands out of his pockets before handcuffing him, police said. The officer patted the man down with his consent before asking him about the car. The man said he had bought the car from a friend who he thought had placed “legit” license plates on the car. While speaking with the man, the officer noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath and that his eyes were bloodshot. When asked if he had drunk alcohol before driving, the man said he had several hours before.
The officer ran the man’s information and found his driver’s license had been revoked due to a previous DUI, so they explained the man would remain in custody. The man agreed to take field sobriety tests at the lockup in Berwyn. After placing him in the squad car, the officer searched the man’s car and found an open Modelo beer can in the passenger seat. The license plates were confiscated before the car was towed.
At the central lockup, the officer conducted sobriety tests, during which the man swayed while balancing and was unable to properly count. The man also agreed to take a breath test, which showed a .134 blood alcohol content.
After processing the man and reviewing his criminal history, the officer learned he had had multiple past convictions for driving with a revoked license and had never been issued a valid license. He also had more than three previous DUI convictions. Police contacted the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for approval of felony charges for aggravated DUI due to the man’s history, which were approved. The man was booked on his charges and later released with a March 14 court date.
Drunk driver caught blowing stop sign
Riverside police arrested a drunk driver March 2.
Around 2:22 p.m., police witnessed a car heading west on Forest Avenue drive through the stop sign at Kimbark Road before turning north into the alleyway before Lincoln Avenue, so they pulled the car over.
As the officers spoke with the driver, they smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed his eyes were red and glassy. When asked, the man was able to provide his driver’s license but said he did not have proof of insurance. The man told police he was coming from his home but also heading to his home; the officers noted that his speech was slurred, police said.
The officers asked the man to take field sobriety tests, and the man agreed. He showed multiple signs of impairment, including rapid eye movement, struggling to balance, failing to listen to instructions and finishing tests early. The man also took a preliminary breath test, which showed blood alcohol content of .253.
After placing the man in handcuffs, police searched the man’s car, where they found one empty Sutter Home wine cooler in the man’s bag and three more unopened bottles, all within reach of the driver. Police took the man to the lockup in Berwyn, where he was processed and charged for driving under the influence of alcohol.
These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated March 2-5 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated March 3-10; they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
