Crime & Safety
DUI Roundup: 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' This Holiday Season
DUI Roundup information was supplied by area police departments during the week prior to Dec. 21, 2013. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
Heads up: From now through Jan. 5 of the New Year, area law enforcers will be out in force as part of the annual Illinois “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on drunken drivers. The statewide crackdown will include high-visibility alcohol and seat belt enforcement.
Data shows the holiday season is a particularly deadly time due to the increased number of drunken drivers on the roads.
"Being arrested for driving drunk brings a wide range of negative consequences into one’s life," says one press release from the North Aurora Police Department. "Drunken drivers face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators also often face tremendous personal embarrassment."
"So don’t take the chance. Remember, we will be out in force and we will be watching, so 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.' ”
As these folks were:
BATAVIA
DEC. 12: Batavia police arrested Benjamin Tyler, 23, of Batavia on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding, failure to signal a turn and improper land usage around 2:02 a.m. Dec. 12 at the intersection of South Batavia Avenue and Main Street, reports said. Tyler posted $100 bond along with his driver’s license and has a court date of Jan. 22.
CLARENDON HILLS
DEC. 14: John Servedio, 29, of the 1900 block of Bristol Avenue, Westchester, was charged with DUI, police said, after he was observed to be under the influence of alcohol during a 2:31 a.m. speeding stop near the intersection of Chicago and Prospect avenues, and refused an ensuing breath test. He was released on bond to appear in court.
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DOWNERS GROVE
DEC. 15: Dale W. Faber, f the 600 block 57th St., Downers Grove, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at 11:20 p.m. at 39th Street and Cumnor Road.
ELMHURST
DEC. 19: Sebastian Filimowicz, 30, 3940 N. Newcastle, Chicago, was arrested and charged with DUI after police pulled over his gray Nissan Rogue for violating a red light and improper lane use at North and Emroy at 9:59 p.m. He was released on bond.
Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
DEC. 15: A 15-year-old girl was arrested and charged with hit and run, improper backing, driving without a license, violating curfew, consumption of alcohol by a minor and zero tolerance after she backed out of a driveway on the 600 block of Bryan and struck a parked vehicle at 1:43 a.m. A teenage passenger was cited for curfew and consumption of alcohol by a minor. They were released to their parents.
DEC. 13: Agnes Kowalska, 47, 6253 W. Holbrook, Chicago, was arrested and charged with aggravated DUI, driving with a revoked license, improper lane use, improper parking on the roadway and no headlights after police pulled over her black Chevrolet Equinox at York and Madison at 11:06 p.m. She was taken to DuPage County Jail. Passengers Mizek Piottrowski and Lucyna Owierczuk, both of 103 W. Saint Mary's, Minooka, were charged with illegal transportation of alcohol and released on bond.
LEMONT
DEC. 15: Erica S. Flaherty, 29, of 1935 Fairview in Chicago, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, after a traffic stop at 131st Street and Derby Road. She was given a Jan. 9 court date at the Bridgeview Courthouse.
NAPERVILLE
DEC. 17: Marla Louise Wilkins, 43, of Yorkville, was arrested at 7:46 p.m. near 95th Street and South Route 59, police said. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. She posted bond.
DEC. 16: Torrin Jeff Wilson, 27, of Montgomery, was arrested at 3:22 a.m. in the 1200 block of West Ogden Avenue, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond.
DEC. 15:
Gabriel Equihua-Gasca, 37, of Glendale Heights, was arrested at 1:36 a.m. near Washington Street and West 5th Avenue, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond.
Yasmin Alonso, 21, of Elburn, was arrested at 2:13 a.m. near Ogden Avenue and Quincy Avenue, police said. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. She posted bond.
Alon Cohen, 30, of Oswego, was arrested at 2:42 a.m. in the 1300 block of East Ogden Avenue, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond.
DEC. 14: Manuel J. Almada-Cruz, 29, of Montgomery, was arrested at 4:11 a.m. in the 900 block of East Ogden Avenue, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond.
DEC. 12:
Ameer Muhammad, 35, of Naperville, was arrested at 1:21 a.m. near Plainfield Naperville road and 104th Street, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He posted bond.
Viera Koscakova, 33, of Aurora, was arrested at 10:05 p.m. in the 600 block of Clover Court, police said. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. She posted bond.
ST. CHARLES
DEC. 15: Ruben Francisco Galvan, 32, of the 5N600 block of Route 25, St. Charles, was charged at 12:35 a.m. on Army Trail Road near Route 25 on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane use, no driver’s license, and on a DuPage County warrant for failure to appear in court on a no driver’s license charge. He posted $300 cash bond on the local charges and was ordered to appear in Kane County Court on Jan. 25, 2013. He posted $200 cash bond and a $75 failure to appear fee on the DuPage County warrant, and was released pending a Jan. 14, 2014 appearance in DuPage County Court.
DEC. 15: Shellie Jane Soderdahl, 38, of the 1000 block of Dean Street, St. Charles, was charged at 5:57 p.m. on the 13000 block of South7th Avenue with DUI, DUI with a blood-alcohol concentration greater than .08, and improper lane use. Police said her blood-alcohol concentration was .249, more than three times the legal limit. She posted her driver’s license and $100 cash bond and was released pending a Jan. 9, 2014 appearance in Kane County Branch Court.
DEC. 13: Mark Albert Omastiak, 23, of the 38W700 block of Hopi Lane, Elgin, was charged at 11:16 p.m. on the 1900 block of West Main Street with DUI, improper lane use, and no insurance. He posted his driver’s license and $100 cash bond and was released pending a Jan. 16, 2014 appearance in Kane County Court.
WHEATON
DEC. 12: Luke Wiesbrock, 28, of the 1700 block of Lakecliffe Drive, Wheaton, was arrested at 6:20 p.m. at Herrick Forest Preserve on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, and illegal transportation of alcohol. He posted bond and was released pending a court appearance.
DEC. 7: Daniel J. Papenfuss, 26, of the 100 block of South Charlotte Street, Lombard, was arrested at 1:27 a.m. at 2191 W. Roosevelt Road on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, and possession of cannabis. He posted bond and was released pending a court appearance.
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.
