South Suburban DUI Arrests, Oct. 28

MOKENA

OCT. 18: Jason Miller, 39, Tinley Park, was ticketed for driving under the influence and improper lane usage after police spotted him first in the 10400 block of 191st Street weaving across the median. 

According to the police report, he was seen drifting across the center line several times. When he neared the railroad crossing, he slowed and then stopped all together. 

Police say it took several times of blasting the squad's horn before Miller would move the car. When he was stopped, police said a strong odor of alcohol was present. He reportedly failed the field sobriety test.

His car was towed, and Miller was arrested. He posted bond and was released.

NEW LENOX

OCT. 23: New Lenox police arrested retired Chicago White Sox player, Carlton Fisk, 64, on charges of drunken driving.

According to the report, Fisk, who retired from baseball in 1993, was found at 7:20 p.m. Monday passed out in his Ford pickup truck in a field near Gougar and Spencer Roads.

Deputy Police Chief Bob Pawlisz said the dispatcher had received a call from a passing motorist who saw the pickup truck in the field. Upon arrival, police found Fisk passed out behind the steering wheel. A strong odor of alcohol was present, police said, and a bottle of vodka was in the truck. Read the full story here. 

OAK FOREST

OCT. 21: 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 Oak Forest 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.

ORLAND PARK

SEPT. 25: Police on patrol saw a vehicle cross over lane lines three different times, before coming to a complete stop for no clear reason on Brassie Drive north of Wheeler Avenue around 7:40 p.m. The driver slurred her speech, her breath smelled like alcohol and she failed field sobriety tests, police said. Eileen E. Coglianese, 63, of the 18000 block of Royal Oak Court in Tinley Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and improper lane use.

PALOS HEIGHTS

OCT. 20: Carolyn Klapacz, 47, of the 500 block of State Street in Lemont was charged with speeding, improper lane use and two counts of driving under the influence, according to a report. Police said she showed possible signs of intoxication during a traffic stop at 12:33 a.m. near 7200 W. College Dr. and failed a test for sobriety. Klapacz was booked and given a $1,000 bond.

OCT. 20: Derrick Ellis, 35, of the 8200 block of South Prairie in Chicago, was charged with improper lane use and two counts of driving under the influence, according to a report. Police said Ellis was asked to perform field sobriety tests during a traffic stop at 12:51 a.m. near 7100 W. 127th St. and failed. A test for his blood-alcohol level resulted in a 0.242. Ellis was booked and given a $1,000 bond.

OCT. 23: Amy B. Gedmin, 32, of the 19700 block of Farmington Lane in Frankfort, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without insurance, according to a report. Her car was stopped at about 3:17 a.m. near 12600 S. Harlem Ave. for speeding, police said. Gedmin refused to take any sobriety tests. After her alleged refusal, police found the drug paraphernalia in her possession. She was also unable to provide insurance information. Gedmin was booked and given a $2,000 bond.

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.