South Suburban DUI Arrests, Dec. 25

Dec. 12: A Palos Heights man faces drunken driving charges, police said, after he left the scene of an accident and was found later passed out behind the wheel of his car on his girlfriend’s driveway. Christopher Oleskiewicz, 20, was charged with driving under the influence and operating an uninsured vehicle. Oak Lawn police responded to a hit and run crash at TGI Friday’s at 5420 W. 95th St. A resident who called 911 reported hearing a loud crash around 4:49 a.m. and seeing a small, silver car backing away from the wall that closes off traffic on 54th Court. While investigating the large hole in the wall, police received a call of a crash on the 9800 block of South 54th Avenue. Reports stated that Oleskiewicz’s girlfriend called police after she found her boyfriend passed out in the car on the driveway. When police arrived, the engine was running and Oleskiewicz was asleep inside the car, police said. .

Dec. 23: Michael K. Mckendrick, 21, of Joliet, was stopped while driving in the 1100 block of West Laraway Road after police observed a vehicle with a registration violation. An officer made contact with the driver, Mckendrick, and determined he was driving under the influence of alcohol. McKendrick was cited for driver under the influence of alcohol, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and expired registration.

Dec. 15: Brian K. Reilly, 22, of the 900 block of Bryan Trail in New Lenox, was stopped by police after they said he ran a stop sign at Haven Avenue and Prairie Road at 12:54 a.m. Police determined Reilly was driving under the influence of alcohol, and after searching his car found 17 grams of marijuana and a pipe. He was given tickets for disobeying the stop sign, driving without insurance and driving without a registration sticker or registration light. Reilly was also given a court date for the DUI and possession charges.



Dec. 15: Kenneth J. Gray, 78, of the 1500 block of Andrea Drive in New Lenox, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, illegally transporting alcohol and resisting arrest following a car accident in Frankfort. Frankfort Police Cmdr. Kevin Keegan said officers responded to an accident at Laraway and Pfeiffer roads at 7:37 p.m. Keegan said Gray was driving northbound on Pfeiffer and went through the stop sign at Laraway, colliding with another driver. Keegan said Gray was "belligerent" when police tried to assist him. A half-empty bottle of Skol Vodka was found in the car, and Keegan said Gray had glossy eyes and had appeared to urinate himself while driving. Police said he tried to fight with paramedics, too. Eventually, police had to strap Gray to a gurney. Keegan said Gray had four previous DUI charges, including two convictions, and was thus given felony DUI charges.

Dec. 18: Irvin Francia, 23, of the 5700 block of 89th Street in Oak Lawn, was charged with driving under the influence and speeding. Police said Francia failed field sobriety and breath tests after stopping his car in the 11900 block of Harlem Avenue around 3 a.m. for driving 67 in a 35 mph zone.

Dec. 17: Jennifer L. Garrity, 37, of the 15300 block of Sequoia Street in Oak Forest, was charged with DUI, improper lane usage and disobeyed red light. Police said Garrity failed field sobriety and breath tests after stopping her car at McCarthy Road and London Lane around 3:45 a.m. for crossing the median marker and blowing a red light.

Dec. 15: David A. Christensen, 50, of the 800 block of Elrose Court in Crest Hill, was charged with DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Police said Christensen failed field sobriety tests after his involvement in an accident in the 7900 block of 135th Street around 7 p.m. Later he submitted to a breath test, which he also failed, according to the report. No one was reported injured.

Dec. 15: Karen J. Jilek, 57, of the 14400 block of Country Club Lane in Orland Park, was charged with DUI and improper lane usage. Police said Jilek failed field sobriety tests after stopping her car in the 7400 block of 135th Street around 11:30 p.m. for drifting between lanes.

Dec. 15: Michael J. Panice, 38, of the 4500 block of 101st Street in Oak Lawn, was charged with DUI and improper lane usage. Police said Panice failed a breath test after stopping his car in the 6900 block of College Drive around 11:45 p.m. for weaving inside its own lane and crossing the lane divider.

Dec. 13: Edward T. Brown, 51, of the 600 block of Camelot Manner in Portage, IN, was charged with driving under the influence DUI and improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Brown’s car in the 1400 block of Portland Avenue around 2:30 a.m. for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. He failed a breath test, blowing more than three times the legal limit, police said.

Dec. 13: Roxanne White, 28, of the 200 block of Gentry Street in Park Forest, was charged with DUI and improper lane usage. Police said they stopped White’s car near Vollmer Road and Roberts Cove for speeding and crossing the lane divider line. She was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, police said.

Dec. 13: Luis A. Maldonado, 41, of the 4900 block of Latrobe Street in Chicago, was charged with DUI, driving while license suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Police said they approached Maldonado’s car in the 400 block of 14th Street after watching it drive to a gas pump and not fill up, and then drive to a parking lot and not get out. Fifteen minutes later he was found sleeping with the engine running, and he was arrested for smelling of alcohol, police said.

Dec. 10: Willie K. Watson, Jr., 54, of the 400 block of 16th Street in Chicago Heights, was charged with DUI and expired driver’s license. Police said they were responding to a noise complaint when they found Watson asleep behind the wheel of his running car in his driveway around 2:30 a.m. He was physically unable to perform field sobriety tests, and his car was towed, police said.

Dec. 16: Kathleen Yarbrough, 56, of the 7700 block of West Grovewood Lane, was arrested by the Plainfield Police Department at about 7:15 p.m. Dec. 16 at Main Street and Penn Road and charged with driving under the influence.

Dec. 19: Walter Silmon, 18, of the 9800 block of Spaulding Avenue in Evergreen Park, was charged with driving under the influence of drugs. Police said Silmon admitted to having recently smoked marijuana after they stopped his car at Kedzie Avenue and Baythorne Drive around 7:30 p.m. because a passenger wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. A bag containing 2 grams of marijuana was found in his pocket, and Silmon submitted to blood and urine tests at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, according to the report.

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.