Accused Drunken Driver Found Wet, Covered in Thorns: Oak Forest Police Blotter

Anthony J. Banko, 29, of the 600 block of Winston Drive, Bourbonnais, was charged with DUI, BAC over . 08, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to reduce speed, following an accident in the 15900 block of Cicero Avenue.

At the accident scene, police spoke with two witnesses involved in the accident who said they were sitting at a red light, when they heard screeching brakes and then were struck by Banko's car. They told officers Banko then exited the car and ran from the scene.

Officers located Banko, soaking wet and covered in thorns near the Metra Station. Officers took Banko back to the accident, where witnesses positively identified him as the driver of the car that struck theirs. Banko told officers that he woke up in a puddle near the station and was unsure of how he got there.

Banko was taken to the Oak Forest Police Department, where he submitted to field sobriety tests and a breath test, blowing a .18.

Police Blotter information is provided by the Oak Forest Police Department. 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.

Banko was charged and then released on a $3,000 I-Bond, pending a court date on Nov. 20 at the Bridgeview Courthouse.