Brookfield police arrested a 65-year-old Joliet man July 7 for allegedly driving drunk.
Around 7:30 p.m., an officer was heading west on Ogden Avenue on patrol when they saw a westbound gold Toyota stopped in the right lane on the 9100 block. According to police, the car stayed stationary for about 15 seconds, impeding traffic, before heading west and swerving into the left lane, where it nearly struck another vehicle. The officer watched the car continue to weave within its lane, crossing the lane markers on the left and nearly hitting the curb on the right, before shifting lanes without using a turn signal.
The car continued to weave on the road into the next traffic lane, causing an oncoming vehicle to swerve out of its way, before shifting back into the right lane without signaling.
The officer pulled the car over at the intersection with Blanchan Avenue and spoke with the driver and sole occupant. The officer told him to move his car into the Sherwin-Williams parking lot so they could finish the traffic stop safely but, after returning to the squad car, saw the man’s car pass the lot and continue west on Ogden Avenue into LaGrange.
The officer pursued the car with their squad car’s lights and siren active, and the man finally pulled over just before the intersection with LaGrange Road. The officer told the man to turn off the car and asked why he didn’t pull into the parking lot; the man responded that he “just needed to get there” while pointing in the northwest direction, police said.
The officer saw the man had bloodshot, watery eyes. When asked to provide his driver’s license and proof of insurance, the man handed over an expired license with valid insurance. The man reiterated that he needed to “go there” and pointed in the same direction, later saying he had to go to work and that he was coming from Chicago. He slurred his words and the officer smelled alcohol on the man’s breath.
When asked, the man admitted he had drunk alcoholic beverages at noon that day. He agreed to take field sobriety testing, accidentally leaving one of his sandals in the roadway while walking to the sidewalk. Another officer who arrived on the scene got the man’s permission to move his car into a nearby parking lot and said the driver’s seat had been wet; the man said he had urinated in the car out of fear of being pulled over.
During the tests, the man showed multiple indicators of being impaired, including struggling with his balance, not listening to instructions being unable to follow a light with his eyes without moving his head. The man also said his breath smelled of alcohol due to a medication he took earlier in the day. The man also said he did not believe he was fit to drive. The man declined to take a preliminary breath test.
The officer arrested the man for driving under the influence due to the various indicators and transported him to the police department. After a 20-minute observation period, the man agreed to take a chemical breath test, which showed .188 blood-alcohol content. Police charged the man for illegally stopping in the road, driving without a valid license, driving under the influence and improper traffic lane usage. Police released the man from custody, and the man called a rideshare to take him home.
Caught cutting through a parking lot
Brookfield police ticketed a man July 8 for avoiding a red light.
Around 8:22 p.m., an officer was in the BP gas station parking lot at the intersection of Prairie and Ogden avenues when they saw a black Ford F-250 heading west on Ogden Avenue. The truck turned into the gas station lot before re-entering northbound traffic on Prairie Avenue, effectively going around the stoplights at the intersection.
The officer followed the truck north and initiated a traffic stop as it turned west onto Windemere Avenue. The officer spoke with the driver, who said he did not have his wallet and could not provide police with his driver’s license or proof of insurance. The man agreed to give his full name and date of birth, so the officer ran his information through the police database and learned the man did not have a valid driver’s license.
The officer told the man he would have to leave the car parked on the 8900 block of Windemere Avenue and cited him for avoiding a traffic control device, driving with no valid license and operating an uninsured vehicle. The officer set a July 22 court date and sent the man on his way.
These items were obtained from the Brookfield Police Department reports dated July 7-14; 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.
