South Suburban DUI Arrests, Aug. 19

Aug. 7: Ronall E. Wright, 51, of the 800 block of Western Avenue in Flossmoor, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police stopped him near the intersection of 15th Street and Halsted Street for running a stop sign, according to the report. Upon being asked to see his driver's license and proof of insurance, Wright searched his wallet for about two minutes before admitting he had neither, according to police. After smelling alcohol on Wright's breath police told him to perform field sobriety tests, according to the report. Wright almost fell while exiting the car and told police he needed to sit on the curb for a minute before doing the tests. He then told police he had drank about five beers within the previous hour. Wright also racked up citations for disobeying a stop sign, driving on a revoked license, driving without insurance, illegal transportation of alcohol and failure to signal when required, according to the report.

Aug. 8: Miguel Moldonado-Zamudio, 28, of the 900 block of Wilcox Street in Hammond, IN, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he was stopped near the intersection of Joe Orr Road and Cottage Grove for speeding, according to the report. Moldonado-Zamudio was unable to provide a valid driver's license and smelled of alcohol, police said. He was then asked to perform field sobriety test, which he did, and was taken into custody, according to the report. Moldonado-Zamudio was also charged with speeding, no valid driver's license and having a blood-alcohol content above .08, police said.

Aug. 6: Steven Donegan, 50, of Evergreen Park, was charged with driving under the influence. He was stopped at 3:36 a.m. for driving without headlights at Central Park and 97th Street, police said. A breath test resulted in a blood alcohol level of .251, police said. 

Aug. 10: John Drabeck, 25, of Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence and driving without a driver's license or insurance. He was stopped at 4:34 a.m. on 93rd Street and Kedzie Avenue after going through a red light and almost hitting a police car, police said. He declined to take field sobriety tests or a breath test, police said.

Aug. 12: James R. Groen, 28, of the 10400 block of East Via Linda in Scottsdale, Ariz., was cited for driving under the influence, driving without insurance and driving with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08 after a traffic stop in the 21100 block of LaGrange Road. Groen's next court date is Sept. 5.

Aug. 5: David W. Weber, 32, of the 23900 block of South Loomis Street in Crete, was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane use and speeding after a traffic stop near the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Sauk Trail Road. Weber's next court date is Sept. 7.

Aug. 3: Michael B. Ditschler, 28, of the 200 block of South Prairie Road in New Lenox, was charged with driving under the influence and speeding after a traffic stop near the intersection of 80th Avenue and Lincoln Highway. Ditschler's next court date is Sept. 4.

Aug. 11: Dean Martinez, 28, of the 1600 block of Cimarron Drive, was charged separately with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while under the influence of alcohol after sheriff's police stopped him in his vehicle about 1:30 a.m. in Joliet. According to the report, he was driving the wrong way on Scott Street, which is a one-way street for southbound traffic only. He was also cited for that violation. He posted a $300 bond and was released.

Aug. 6: Julie Singer, 31, of Oak Lawn was charged with DUI and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident after a rear-end collision at 95th Street and South Oak Park Avenue, police said.

Aug. 6: Veneta Anthony, 53, of Chicago was charged with DUI and other offenses after was pulled over in the area of 95th Street and Tripp Avenue for driving erratically, police said. She also was cited for improper lane usage, failing to signal and driving without insurance, police said.

July 28: Police were called about a car accident in the 16700 block of Summercrest Avenue around 9:10 p.m. An officer saw a woman walking in the middle of the street away from a vehicle stopped on the street’s south side with the door open, and with significant passenger side damage to the car, police said. A man at the scene told police that the woman tried to drive away after the accident, but he blocked her car and that’s why she was walking away, according to the report. The woman failed field sobriety tests and her breath smelled like alcohol, police said. Laura D. DeVries, 44, of the 16700 block of Summercrest Avenue in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane use, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving an uninsured vehicle and texting while driving.

July 22: Police were called about a car up on the curb and blocking a traffic lane in the 15600 block of LaGrange Road around 1:35 a.m. The driver appeared dazed, his breath smelled like alcohol, he slurred his speech and failed field sobriety tests, police said. While in custody, police found an active Cook County warrant on him from a previous DUI, according to the report.  Alberto Reyes-Flores, 25, of the 1000 block of Central Park Avenue in Chicago, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, illegal stopping and driving with a suspended license.

July 21: Police pulled over a car for speeding at 143rd Street and 88th Avenue around 3:35 a.m. The driver’s breath smelled like alcohol and he failed field sobriety tests, police said. Michael R. Nothhelfer, 23, of the 14800 block of Westwood Drive in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding.

July 18: Police were called about a hit and run accident in the 15100 block of LaGrange Road around 10:35 p.m.  A vehicle matching the description of the one responsible for the accident was seen at a gas station in the 13000 block of LaGrange Road shortly thereafter, police said. The driver’s belt was undone and his pants were falling down as he exited his car, police said. His speech was slurred and he gave the officer a work ID, a receipt and a credit card while trying to find a traffic ticket, according to the report. He also smelled like alcohol and failed field sobriety tests, police said. Neither he nor the driver of the other car in the accident were injured, according to the report. Mario Garza, 33, of the 400 block of Fairway Lane in University Park, was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Aug. 12: Heather M. Grant, 32, of 6100 block of Rob Roy Drive in Oak Forest, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence, improper lane use, driving with an expired license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to a police report. Grant's vehicle was stopped for an alleged lane violation. She failed all sobriety test and blew at 0.184, police said. Her bond was set at $3,000.

Aug. 12: Bryan Lundy, 21, of the 11000 block of Lloyd Drive in Worth, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence, making an improper turn and improper lane use, according to a police report. Police stopped his car for making a wrong turn. Lundy failed sobriety tests and blew over the legal limit, police said. His bond is set at $3,000.

Aug. 10: Naomi B. Boehm, 37, of 5800 block of Independence Avenue in Oak Forest was charged with driving under the influence and speeding, according to a police report. At about 2:48 a.m., police stopped a vehicle that was allegedly speeding in the 13600 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said the driver, Boehm, was under the influence of alcohol and was arrested. Her bond was set at $3,000.

Aug. 10: Jacob M. Curtis, 22, of 19800 block fo Ryan Court in Mokena, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence and improper lane use, according to a police report. A vehicle was stopped at about 1:34 a.m. in the 6800 block of West 127th Street for a lane violation. He failed all sobriety tests and blew a 0.219, police said. He bond was set at $3,000.

Aug. 8: Gary T. Volk, 66, of 14700 block of South Central Avenue No. D114 in Oak Forest, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence and disobeying a traffic control sign, according to a police report. Police stopped a vehicle at about 8:39 p.m. in the 13900 block of South Ridgeland Avenue that reportedly disobeyed a red light. The driver, Volk, was given field sobriety tests and was then arrested, police said. His bond was set at $3,000.


Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions 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.