Crime & Safety

South Suburban DUI Arrests, Sept. 16

Accused drunken driver tells police she had the "good stuff," woman drives wrong way through the drive-thru, and more in this week's roundup of Southland drunken driving arrests.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS

Sept. 7: Creshenda L. Gaston, 36, of the 300 block of Concord Drive, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after she was stopped near the intersection of 14th Street and Sunnyside Avenue for swerving over the traffic lines, according to the report. Gaston stopped her vehicle in the left turn lane on 14th Street, police said. Just as police exited their patrol vehicle, Gaston put her vehicle back into drive and completed the left turn onto Sunnyside before coming to a stop, according to the report. As police spoke to Gaston she said, "I know I'm drunk," according to the report. As she was taking field sobriety tests Gaston said, "I've been drinking vodka, the good stuff, Grey Goose," according to the report. 

FRANKFORT

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Sept. 8: Jane E. Griffin, 49, of the 11600 block of 197th Street in Mokena, was charged with driving under the influence, improper parking on a roadway, unsafe equipment, driving without insurance and resisting/obstructing a peace officer after a traffic stop near the intersection of 116th Street and Laraway Road. Griffin's next court date is Oct. 3.

MOKENA

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Sept. 3: Luke D. Vaicaitis, 19, of the 8800 block of Clifton Way, was charged with underage drinking, possession of drug equipment, disobeying a traffic control signal and driving without insurance after a traffic stop near LaGrange Road and 191st Street.

An officer saw Vaicaitis make a right turn at a red light without stopping at the intersection of La Grange Road and 191st Street at 11:48 p.m. and subsequently pulled him over, the report stated. Vaicaitis gave the officer his driver's license but could not produce proof of insurance. The officer smelled alcohol on Vaicaitis's breath and noticed he had glassy, bloodshot eyes.

Vaicaitis failed two field sobriety tests and was taken into custody, the report stated. Two smoking pipes with burnt residue suspected to be cannabis were found in the center console of his car when police searched it before having it towed.

ORLAND PARK

Sept. 1: Police said German Barrientos, 23, of the 14400 block of Ravinia in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence about 1 a.m. after he was stopped for speeding and other driving violations and failed field sobriety tests.

Aug. 29: A Palos Park man was charged with drunken driving after he allegedly hit another car and fled the scene. Police said Henry Sawa, 52, of Palos Park, was charged with driving under the influence after they responded to a car crash about 8:30 p.m. on the median in the 16200 block of La Grange Road. Police said the victim told them her dog was in distress and she pulled onto the median where her vehicle was struck by Sawa's pickup truck. The victim said he stopped only after she pursued him in her SUV. Police said Sawa refused to submit to field sobriety tests but smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and glossy, and he swayed while walking.

Aug. 26: Danny Kazlauskas, 26, of the 15500 block of Wolf Road in Orland Park, was charged with drunken driving about 3:20 a.m. after police stopped him in the 14300 block of 108th Avenue and he failed field sobriety tests and his blood alcohol registered 0.158 in a breath test, police said.

Aug. 24: A Tinley Park woman was charged with drunken driving in the parking lot of Culver's about 11:30 p.m. Police said Laura Harroun, 35, of the 16400 block of Hillcrest Drive, was charged with driving under the influence after she was spotted driving the wrong way through the restaurant's drive-up window and she drove her car up onto an island in the parking lot. Police said they received three separate 911 calls about the incident.

PALOS HEIGHTS

Sept. 8: Lidija T. Krajewski, 19, of the 16600 block of Paw Paw Avenue in Orland Park was charged with improper lane use, speeding, driving an uninsured motor vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to a report. Police said they stopped a vehicle for lane violations and speeding. An officer reportedly could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle. Krajewski’s bond was set at $3,000.

TINLEY PARK

Aug. 17: After receiving a tip regarding a possible intoxicated driver on Oak Park Avenue, police caught up with Damon E. Dehaan, 36, of the 17300 block of South 69th Avenue in Tinley Park. They said Dehaan was swerving within his lane, crossed the lane line one time and then turned west onto 177th Street heading west in the eastbound lane. Damon reportedly asked police at least 10 times why he had been pulled over and had bloodshot eyes and "thick-tongued" speech.

He told police he drank one beer after work, according to the report. Dehaan refused to perform field sobriety tests and stumbled out of his vehicle before being taken into custody, according to the report. He was charged with driving under the influence, improper lane use and driving in the wrong lane.

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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