Crime & Safety

South Suburban DUI Arrests, Aug. 12

Man nearly hits children at block party, woman thanks cops for pulling her over, and more in this week's roundup of Southland drunken driving arrests.

 

July 28: Albert S. Smith, 58, of 16468 George Dr. in Oak Forest, was charged July 28 with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without insurance, reckless driving and resisting a police officer, according to police. Smith is accused of recklessly driving through a block party on Lisa Lane, while under the influence of alcohol.

At about 10:45 p.m., a tan Buick driven by Smith sped down Lisa Lane and nearly stuck a DJ booth and several children on bikes, according to a witness cited in a police report. One partygoer was able to flag Smith down and get him to stop his car. When someone tried to talk with him, Smith responded incoherently and tried to drive away, according to the report. The man also reached into the car to shut it off, at which point Smith allegedly became “irate.”

An officer on the scene spoke with witnesses and Smith. According to the report, the officer allegedly smelled alcohol on Smith’s breath and then arrested him for drunken driving. He was taken to Oak Forest Police Department where he refused both field sobriety tests and a breath test. Police said Smith seemed confused in lockup as to why he was arrested and reportedly felt he had not done anything wrong.

July 30:
Enrique Sanchez-Huitanda, 35 of 5110 W. 159th St. No. 16, in Oak Forest was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane use, driving without a valid license and driving without proof of insurance. Police stopped Sanchez-Huitanda’s SUV at about 7:13 p.m. on July 30 near a closed building at 15426 Cicero Avenue. One officer reportedly could smell vomit and alcohol on Sanchez-Huitanda’s breath, according to a report. He told police that he had more than six beers. Field tests for sobriety were conducted, after which Sanchez-Huitanda was arrested. He was transported to the Oak Forest Police Department where he was unable to provide a sample for a breath test.

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July 27: A woman who was driving home from her work at a local bar began crying when police told her she blew a .279 on the Breathalyzer and thanked them for pulling her over, according to reports. Police stopped Michelle Hannigan, 37, of the 12200 block of South Spencer in Alsip, around 2:30 a.m. July 27 near the intersection of 171st Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park. They said she was crossing over lane lines.  She told officers that she had a beer to drink at the bar, according to the report, and her speech was "mumbled." She reportedly failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody.  

"Michelle provided a sample of her breath resulting in .279 B.A.C.," an officer wrote in the report. "Michelle asked me, 'How did I do?' I advised Michelle of her results and she began to cry and stated, 'I cannot believe it's that high.'"

While being questioned, officers said Michelle, "began to cry and apologized several times and thanked me for pulling her over." She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane use, and driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08.

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July 14: Police pulled over a vehicle after seeing it speeding, making a wide turn, crossing a lane line and nearly striking a curb, in the 16500 block of 94th Avenue around 2:40 a.m. The driver’s speech was slurred, his breath smelled like alcohol, he admitted to drinking two beers and he failed field sobriety tests, police said. Kevin J. Fishback, 20, of the 9300 block of Hunter Court in Orland Hills, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, consumption of alcohol by a minor, improper lane use and speeding.

July 11:
Police pulled over a vehicle for speeding in the 14900 block of LaGrange Road around 11:55 p.m. The driver smelled like alcohol, his speech was slurred and he admitted to having a drink with dinner, police said. Marcos A. Rodriguez, 26, of the 5200 block of South Oak Park Avenue in Chicago, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, speeding and driving with a suspended license.

August 6: Stanislaw Waksmundzki, 33, of the 9100 block of 55th Avenue in Oak Lawn, was charged with driving under the influence and operation of an uninsured vehicle. He was found asleep at the wheel at a traffic light and he failed a breath, police said.  

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.


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