South Suburban DUI Arrests, Feb. 19

PALOS HEIGHTS

Feb. 10: Matthew Mackovak, 31, of the 10500 block of 80th Court in Palos Park was charged with DUI, driving on a suspended license and no insurance. Police said they found Mackovak passed out behind the wheel of his car, in the intersection of Route 83 and Harlem Avenue around 9:45 p.m. He was arrested after refusing field sobriety tests, police said.

Feb. 7: Michael Murphy, 56, of the 13100 block of Timber Court in Palos Heights was charged with DUI. Police said Murphy was involved in a car accident in the 13400 block of Ridgeland Avenue around 6:45 p.m. He showed “signs of impairment” and was arresting after failing field sobriety tests, police said.

Kicked Walls and Battered Cops Follow DUI Arrest in Palos Heights: Read more on Palos Patch.

Feb. 4: Anmarie Wrona, 34, of the 14800 block of Kilpatrick in Midlothian, was charged with drunken driving and no proof of insurance. She was stopped at 10:52 a.m. in the 6600 block of College Drive, police said. Wrona failed field sobriety tests and an open bottle of liquor was found inside her car, police said. 

Feb. 4: Jeffrey Graves, 54, of the 11600 block of Nagle Avenue in Worth, was charged with driving under the influence. He was stopped at 11:38 p.m. in the 12100 block of Harlem Avenue, police said. Graves failed a breath test, police said.  

Feb. 4: Marcin Figus, 21, of the 8500 block of Massasoit Avenue in Burbank, was charged with driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license. He was stopped at 1:41 a.m. for a burnt out headlight, police said. He submitted to and failed a breath test, police said.

Feb. 1: Robert Carroll, 60, of the 9600 block of Meade in Oak Lawn, was charged with driving under the influence and felony driving on a revoked license. Carroll was stopped at 1:15 a.m. in the 6800 block of College Drive for a seatbelt violation, police said. Officers detected the smell of alcohol on Carroll's breath, he refused to submit to a breath test, police said. His license had already been revoked for a past DUI, police said.

ORLAND PARK

Feb. 5: Police pulled over a truck after seeing it make a wide turn, cutting into the opposite lane of traffic, around 11:15 p.m. on 108th Avenue near 179th Street. The officer smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath, his speech was slurred and he failed field sobriety tests, police said. Christos I. Xirogiannis, 55, of the 15600 block of Lakeside Drive in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper turning, improper lane use and driving an uninsured vehicle.

Feb. 5: Police pulled over a car for driving 65 mph in a 40 mph zone in the 8000 block of 159th Street around 11:30 p.m. Police smelled alcohol from inside the vehicle, and the driver failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. Darlene M. Valenti-Galassi, 52, of the 7900 block of 164th Court in Tinley Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding.

Jan. 29: Police saw a Nissan Maxima strike a Ford Explorer while making a left turn as the Explorer was driving west on 159th Street through 108th Avenue around 7:55 p.m. Neither drivers were injured, police said. The officer noticed an odor of alcohol from the breath of the Nissan driver, and he failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. Jeffrey T. Reynolds, 45, of the 15600 block of Heatherglen Court in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving an uninsured vehicle and disobeying a traffic device.

Jan. 29: Police were called about a one-car accident in a parking lot in the 16100 block of LaGrange Road around 3:30 p.m. A car drove off the road, yet the driver walked away from the accident and into a nearby restaurant, police said. Police caught up with paramedics on the scene who walked the woman out of the restaurant, and found a car with heavy front-end damage, according to the report. The woman told police she had “hit a curb,” which later turned out to be a center median strip, according to the report. The woman was slurring her speech, and an officer could smell a moderate odor of alcohol from her breath, police said. She later failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. Julie A. Shea, 49, of the 8800 block of 140th Street in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving an uninsured vehicle and improper lane use.

TINLEY PARK

Feb. 11: Tinley Park police said they arrested a Plainfield woman  after they found her behind the wheel of her idle car, which was stuck on the train tracks along 68th Court. Police met Rachel E. Mizwicki, 20, of the 24200 block of Cropland Drive in Plainfield, around 2:20 a.m. Saturday. Her four-door Oldsmobile was stopped on the railroad tracks in the 17300 block of 68th Court.  An officer guided Mizwicki and her passengers—the report didn't say how many—to safety when a train came rumbling down the tracks. Police said Mizwicki failed field sobriety tests and blew a .117 on the Breathalyzer. Asked if she was drunk she told police, "No. Well, maybe a little," the report said. She was charged with unlawful access to a restricted roadway, driving without a driver's license in her possession, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08. Read more on Tinley Park Patch.

Feb. 4: When searching a driver before he was taken into custody on a driving under the influence charge, police found a bag of marijuana, two needles, an unidentified pill and several beers, they said.  They stopped Joseph A. Saulinski, 44, of the 7700 block of West 157th Place in Orland Park, around 6:20 p.m. Saturday in the 17600 block of Harlem Avenue in Tinley. A caller said he saw Saulinski's Chevy pick-up swerving across lanes of traffic, narrowly striking other vehicles, the report said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and at 7:50 p.m., blew a .022—that's .058 less than the legal limit—on the Breathalyzer, according to the report. He then gave police blood and urine samples, they said. He also faces drug charges.

Feb. 3: While being sobriety tested on Friday, an Orland Hills woman told police she drank "two beers, then two more beers" before getting behind the wheel, according to police. Officers pulled over Kelli J. Bordner, 27, of the 9200 block of 169th Place around 3 a.m. near the intersection of 191st Street and Brookside Glen Drive in Tinley Park. They said she disregarded a red light, three "no turn on red" signs and was weaving in her lane before they stopped her. She failed the first two sobriety tests and while performing the third walk-and-turn test told police "I can't do this, just arrest me," the report said. Read more on Tinley Park Patch.

Jan. 29: James E. MacLelland, 35, of the 16800 block of Forestview Drive in Tinley Park, was charged around 2:30 a.m. with driving under the influence of alcohol and improper lane use. Police pulled over MacLelland near Oak Park Avenue and 178th Street, where they saw him leaving Carm's Beef, they said. The business was closed and officers thought his presence was suspicious. When they began following MacLelland, he crossed the solid yellow median line twice, they said. He refused to perform any field sobriety tests or to give officers a breath sample. At the station, he told officers he didn't know how to spell his last name, according to the report. They said he smelled like alcohol and admitted to drinking five beers at a local bar.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS

Feb. 12: David Shireman, 30, of the 24700 block of West Meadowlark in Channahon and Christopher Partridge, 22, of the 2700 block of Chicago Road in Chicago Heights were arrested at about 2:48 a.m. at 21st Street and Chicago Road. Officers stopped the men's vehicle after noticing an expired registration, according to reports, and the eyes of driver Shireman appeared bloodshoot and watery. Shireman was taken into custody for driving under the influence. Passengers Partridge and another 22-year-old male were taken into custody after officers also observed seven small, clear plastic bags containing an off-white rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine on the floor on the passenger side.

Feb. 9: Tyler Loyde, 20, of the 6400 block of Kenwood Avenue in Chicago was arrested on DUI charges and was citied for several traffic violations. Officers reportedly saw Loyde's car eastbound on West 14th Street at Aberdeen without any registration or license plates. During the traffic stop, police observed a strong odor of alcohol and watery, bloodshot eyes, according to the report.

Feb. 2: Robert Johnston, 39, of the 21600 block of Olivia Avenue in Sauk Village, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police stopped him for disobeying a "no turn on red" sign, according to the report. Police were unable to understand most of Johnston's "rambling," but when asked for proof of insurance, he said "I'm suspended" while presenting a valid insurance card, according to the report. Johnston was so "unsure of himself" police had to guide him to the police car when taking him into custody, according to the report.

MOKENA

Feb. 6: David A. Jozwiak, 43, of the 8000 block of 83rd Place in Justice was charged with driving under the influence, disobeyed stop sign and two counts of improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Jozwiak’s car at 191st Street and Hickory Creek Drive just after midnight for blowing a stop sign, striking a curb and swerving into oncoming traffic. He was arrested after refusing to take field sobriety and breath tests, according to the report.

Feb. 4: Sheila J. Smith, 47, of the 19700 block of Glennell Avenue in Mokena was charged with DUI and two counts of improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Smith’s car near Wolf and LaPorte roads shortly after midnight for taking wide turns into oncoming traffic and swerving across lanes. She smelled of alcohol and was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, police said.

EVERGREEN PARK

Jan. 23: Police on 87th Street saw a car parked on the sidewalk in front of J.J. Sausage Maxwell Street, according to reports. Evergreen Park Police said one of the car’s wheels was off and underneath the car. According to reports, police arrested. Louis Christopher, 32, of Evergreen Park, the driver of the vehicle. At about 2:18 a.m., the car was apparently traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of 87th Street before hitting the curb in front of 2647 W. 87th St., and came to a rest in front of 2649 W. 87th St, police said. According to reports, Christopher was found walking in the area near the car, and when police arrested him, he failed a field sobriety test. Read more on Evergreen Park Patch.

Jan. 26: Around 3 a.m., police saw a car swerve around 95th Street and Western Avenue. According to reports, police arrested Dejaune T. Jones, 36, of Chicago, and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol. Reports said that when police stopped him, he failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol content of .237. Jones was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, alcohol concentration over .08, illegal transportation of alcohol, improper lane usage and failure to signal when required.

OAK FOREST

Feb. 2: Faith N. Aherns, 29, of the 14500 block of Club Circle Drive in Oak Forest, was charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Aherns’ car at 147th Street and Central Avenue around 9:15 p.m. after an off-duty firefighter for Posen reported seeing it drift between lanes. Though she refused a Breathalyzer test, she was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, police said.

HOMEWOOD

Feb. 11: Alfred Lazo, 54, of the 9100 block of Crandon Avenue in Chicago was charged with driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, no insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid accident. Police said Lazo bumped another car at Ridge Road and Ashland Avenue around 6:45 p.m. He was arrested after refusing to take field sobriety tests, because, as he reportedly told an officer, “I’m drunk, brother.”

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.