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South Suburban DUI Arrests, Dec. 2

Cops find cold beer wrapped in a warm jacket, and a man unable to stand on his own rear-ends a semi-truck. A roundup of local drunken driving arrests.

 

TINLEY PARK

Nov. 11: Benjamin D. Reardon, 24, of the 16500 block of Blossom Lane, ran a red light at Harlem Avenue around 2:50 a.m., as he drove his red, 1996 Dodge Stratus southbound on Harlem Avenue while Cook County Sheriff's officer was in pursuit, police said.

Once pulled over near the intersection of 168th Street and Harlem Avenue, a Tinley Park police officer and a Cook County sheriff's deputy spoke with Reardon, whose speech was slurred and eyes bloodshot and watery, the report stated. The Tinley Park officer said she could smell alcohol on his breath, and she asked Reardon if he had been drinking, the report continued. Reardon replied, "A little," and the sheriff's officer reported seeing about four cans of Miller High Life underneath Reardon's coat, which he wasn't wearing, the report stated.

Reardon failed three field sobriety tests and was arrested, the report stated. A search of the car uncovered 11 cold cans of beer in the sleeves and underneath Reardon's coat, the report continued. At the Tinley Park Police station, Reardon refused to take a breath test, saying, "That machine looks too medical," according to the report. He also refused to sign a statement saying he understood his Miranda rights, telling the officer that he felt she was trying to trick him, the report stated. Reardon was released to his father on an I-bond and paid a $500 car impound fee, the report stated.

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NEW LENOX

Nov. 23: Edward McIntosh, 48, of the 900 block of Somerset Street, was charged with DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident after a collision at Route 30 and Schoolhouse Road. 

Nov. 21: Tara Brown, 28, of the 100 block of S. Cooper Road, was cited for DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident after rear-ending a vehicle in the 600 block of E. Route 30, police said. The driver of the car that Brown struck complained of neck soreness and was taken to Silver Cross Hospital. However, while investigating the accident, police said Brown smelled of alcohol and later failed a field sobriety test.

Nov. 18: Patrick T. White, 25, of the 2800 block of S. Centurion Lane in New Lenox, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane usage, illegal transportation of alcohol and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The arrest occurred after White lost control of his vehicle flipped his car in the front yard of a residence, striking a tree on the 300 block of E. Joliet Highway in New Lenox. He was taken to Silver Cross Hospital by the New Lenox Fire Protection District for non-life threatening injuries.

HOMEWOOD

Nov. 22: A Woodridge man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he rear-ended a semi truck at the intersection of Maple Road and Halsted Street just after 2 a.m. on Nov. 22, according to police. Michael Rinkenberger, 32, of the 2800 block of Forest Glen in Woodridge, was waiting in his car after the accident when police arrived, according to reports. Police say Rinkenberger’s breath smelled of alcohol and that he was unable to stand without using his car for support. He failed an eye movement field sobriety test, according to reports. Rinkenberger was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher and failure to reduce speed to avoid accident.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS

Nov. 18: Edwardo Mendez, 36, of the 200 block of East 22nd Street, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police stopped him near the intersection of 16th Street and Campbell Avenue for running two stop signs, according to the report. Mendez was unable to provide a driver's license and had two open beers in his cup holder, police said. Police had Mendez perform field sobriety tests before taking him in to custody. Mendez was also charged with driving on a suspended license, no valid registration, illegal transportation or possession of alcohol and two counts of disobeying a stop sign, according to the report.

Nov. 18: Jose Gonzalez, 40, of the 200 block of East 24th Street in Chicago Heights, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police stopped him in the 1500 block of Otto Blvd. for hitting and riding the curb, according to the report. Gonzalez was unable to produce a valid driver's license or proof of insurance, police said. Police asked Gonzalez if he had been drinking, to which he responded, "Yes, I had seven beers," according to the report. Police had Gonzalez perform field sobriety tests before taking him into custody. Gonzalez was also charged with improper lane usage, no proof of valid insurance and no valid driver's license, 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.

Related Topics: Drunken Driving, Dui, and South Suburban DUI Arrests

Anna Schier

11:11 am on Monday, December 3, 2012

SomeGuyNamedEd,

Comments of a racially insensitive nature are in violation of Patch's commenting policy. Therefore, your comment has been removed.

Thank you for reading Patch,
Anna

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Mary Carumba

1:47 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

Why allow any comments at all? If people can't say what they feel why bother?

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Ben Feldheim

9:49 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Mary, if you ever decide you are fed up with the restrictions we put on you, simply email me your mailing address and I will gladly send you a full refund for your time with Patch.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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Mary Carumba

9:52 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Ben,
That is very clever. I think I used that one when I was in third grade!

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Tired of the B.S.

10:01 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

@Ben Feldheim
Hey Ben, maybe you need to remember that the people that read this are kind of like customers. If we stop reading, the Patch goes away and so does your job.

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Ben Feldheim

10:21 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

@Tired, you're absolutely right about that. That's why my fellow editors and I work as hard as we do. However, we have a right to insist people who participate adhere to very minimal and simple guidelines when commenting. When you create a user account you have agreed to the Terms of Use. Some people unfortunately need to be reminded of that.

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Tired of the B.S.

1:32 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

@ Ben
We have rules at my place of employment, too. Rule #1 is that you always treat customers with respect. If one of my employees spoke to a customer like you replied to Mary, they would lose their job. You need to remember that you need us more than we need you.

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Emily

2:18 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

BS - feel free to not stop on by anymore. If someone who posts the way they do and in turn cannot handle a little sarcasm they really shouldn't be around anyone.

The most bigoted/racist folks tend to be the most offended when you call them out on their BS.

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Tired of the B.S.

3:25 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Emily,
I will stop by whenever I please, thank you.
If you were unable to see, my posts were not directed towards you. I was reminding one of the editors, that as an editor, some professionalism is to be expected.
If this has bothered you in some way, I really don't care.

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Ben Feldheim

5:28 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tired, I can understand that thinking, but I believe that respect is something that is earned.

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Tired of the B.S.

5:39 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

@ Ben Feldheim,
I never said anything about respect. I was talking of professionalism, that's a completely different thing.
I can chose to not respect you but remain professional in my demeanor, but I can not be unprofessional in my demeanor and still show respect. An editor should know this. You are not a user of the Patch, you are an editor and should remain professional at all times. You should also look to the comments that other editors post, like Anna Schier. She deleted two comments due to violating Patch policy and did not get sarcastic at all. Anna shows a great example of professionalism in a tough situation, you should learn from her.

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Tired of the B.S.

5:43 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

@ Ben Feldheim,
Lauren Traut is another editor that has never been anything but professional on this site. She is another editor that you should try to emulate. Both of these girls have earned respect due to their professionalism. You will never earn respect with a sarcastic attitude as an editor, perhaps you should try to be a columnist, they get to play by different rules.

SomeGuyNamedEd

12:21 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

Immigration policy is not a racial issue, Ms. Schier. A person who drives a vehicle should be encouraged to have a driver's license.

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SouthSide

1:17 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

Where in the information that Patch has provided does it say there is an immigration issue?

Emily

12:27 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

Ed - you assume everyone driving without a license is an immigration issue? You need to do some research.

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Anna Schier

1:29 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

Poncho,

Comments that include insensitive or potentially offensive language are in violation of Patch's commenting policy.

Thank you for reading Patch,
Anna

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Mary Carumba

1:50 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

You don't appear to have much of a future as a journalist! Hope you get off deleting this comment!!

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Lauren Traut

9:21 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Hi, Mary.

Patch has Terms of Use, and we expect our commenters to follow those terms in order to keep the conversation on our sites constructive and civil.

The terms are accessible on each home page, but in case you need a refresher: http://oakforest.patch.com/terms

Thanks for reading, we hope all will play by the rules.

Lauren Traut,
Associate Regional Editor

king cjon

9:24 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

All races have alcoholics. Some are irresponsible and break the law. Those people should be punished no matter their race or financial status.

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Arthur Huff

5:47 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Come on...more comments that have totally devolved to garbage? At least on the other articles when the conservatives and liberals go at it they do it with a little (very little) class.

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Clara

10:33 am on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tired ... you make me tired. That "customers can say and do anything" mentality is what makes great greasy used car salespersons. (No dis to car salespeople, really) Saying whatever you want is NOT okay. That's why there are terms of service. And for your information anyone can jump in here and say civilized things whether you are talking to that person or not.

The customer deserves service until the customer stops playing by the rules. You swear in my tavern I throw you out. You're a blowhard I throw you out. Because I can. And I will. When you start taking anything from anyone just because they have a dollar to spend ... what do you turn into? I will let you think on that question.

And also, I am pretty sure those female editors you refer to as girls are well beyond the age of 18. They are women, not girls.

Thanks for listening.

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Tired of the B.S.

2:34 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Clara,
If you had bothered to read this thread, you would have seen that I have no problem with the Patch enforcing their rules.
I will try to make this as clear as possible so maybe you will understand. There is something called being a professional. This means that when you are doing your job, you should act in a certain way. You should not try to belittle somebody or make sarcastic comments as these things will make people think bad things about your company. Still with me? OK.
There are ways to get your point across without resorting to unprofessional tactics. This was evident in the way that the other editors handled deleting offensive posts. As far as you kicking patrons out of "your" bar for swearing or being a "blowhard", just by you saying that shows me that you are not a very good customer service type. Your bar must be pretty empty.
When you take the bad from people and are able to turn it into a positive, you will make sales. This is what I do when I am confronted by a customer that stops playing by the rules. I have made many sales by listening to whatever their problem is and finding a solution. What does that turn me into, you ask? It turns me into a successful businessman.
I will call women girls, ladies, babes, dolls, hotties, and anything else that I want to and if you don't like it, I really don't care.
Jump in anytime you please and make whatever comments you would like, again, I don't care

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Bill Goodman

8:14 pm on Monday, December 10, 2012

Wow. I think I just watched a bunch of adults act like 3rd graders. Gotta love the internet.

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