South Suburban Drunken Driving Arrests, Oct. 16

Oct. 10: Police arrested a Springfield woman early Monday who they said was drunk when she drove into a tree in the Super Kmart parking lot in . Gia A. Hulet, 28, of the 200 block of North Wesley Street in Springfield, was charged around 6:40 a.m. Monday with driving under the influence. Police found her around 5:50 a.m. in the driver's seat of her 2000 Saturn four-door, which was resting against a pine tree beyond a grassy berm in the parking lot of Super Kmart, 16300 Harlem Ave., according to a police report.

"(Officers) observed (Hulet) acting confused and going in and out of consciousness," the report said. "After repeated attempts to have (her) unlock the vehicle, a responding officer used his flashlight and shattered the driver's rear window to make entry into the vehicle so medical assistance could be rendered …"

While treating Hulet for a fractured ankle, possible head trauma and a pelvic injury, paramedics told police they smelled a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, according to the report. She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, 4440 W. 95th St., Oak Lawn, where she agreed to blood and urine tests, police said. After they her tests yielded a blood-alcohol content of .17, she was charged with driving under the influence.

She told police she drank two margaritas in Chicago, the report stated, and that she was sorry. Her bail was set at $1,000.

Oct. 8: Kevin J. McEnery, 23, of the 16800 block of 81st Avenue in Tinley Park, was arrested around 3:30 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence, failure to yield when turning left, operating an uninsured vehicle and driving without a copy of his driver's license. Police pulled him over after they said he cut them off to make a left turn near the intersection of 80th Avenue and Paxton Street. Police said they smelled alcohol on his breath and that McEnery told them he had drank 10 Miller Lites. He refused sobriety tests, according to the report. His bail was set at $3,000.

Oct. 2: John L. Murphy, 23, of the 6700 block of Edgewood Drive in Palos Heights, was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, improper turning, and possession of marijuana. Police pulled over a car that crossed over the center lane lines and swerved back and forth in the lane on 82nd Avenue near Forestview Drive around 4:15 a.m. Police smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath and found marijuana inside the car, according to the report. The driver also failed field sobriety tests, police said.

Oct. 2: Dena M. Kolios, 22, of the 13900 block of Norwich Lane in Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, failure to signal, illegal transportation of alcohol and driving an uninsured vehicle. Police saw a vehicle make several turns without signaling near the 8200 block of Arrowhead Lane around 2:45 a.m. Officers smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath when she exited the car after parking in a driveway, police said. Officers found an opened bottle of rum under the passenger seat, and the driver declined to take field sobriety tests, but later blew into a Breathalyzer, according to the report.

Oct. 1: Police pulled over an SUV for speeding and driving over center lines in the 11400 block of 159th Street around 3 a.m. The officer smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath, though the driver said he hadn’t been drinking, according to the report. He later failed field sobriety tests, police said. The driver initially gave police a false name, and they later found his license had been revoked for a past DUI charge, according to the report. Edwin M. Stuckey, 35, of the 1600 block of Drexel Avenue in Dolton, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, aggravated driving with a revoked license, driving under the influence, speeding, obstructing identification and improper lane use.

Sept. 30: Police pulled over a vehicle for driving over the center line several times on Will Cook Road near 159th Street around 9:40 p.m. The officers smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath and she failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. A child was in the back seat in a car seat, police said. Jennifer E. Siano, 25, of the 17900 block of Settlers Pond Way, was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than .08, improper lane use and endangering the life of a child.

Sept. 29: Police were called to a department store in Orland Square Mall about an intoxicated woman who had fallen around 2:30 p.m. A store manager said the woman had cut her arm while falling, and asked to be walked to her car, according to the report. The responding officer found the woman sitting in the driver’s seat of her car with the engine running, and immediately smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath, police said. The woman failed field sobriety tests, according to the report. Kathleen S. Shields, 58, of the 8800 block of Cedar Wood Drive in Orland Hills, was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08.

Oct. 4: Georgios Dragongiannis, 31, of the 8800 block of Mobile Avenue in Oak Lawn, was charged with drunken driving. Dragongiannis was clocked traveling 75 mph in a 45 zone, police said. He blamed the speeding on an injured leg and said that he "could not control what it does," police said. A breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of .104.

Oct. 9: Thomas J. Provancal, 21, of the 14700 block of South Kenton Avenue in Midlothian, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol level over 0.08, said. Officers responded to an accident in the 15500 block of Cicero Avenue. Provancal had rear-ended another car at 4:35 a.m., according to the report. Provancal failed field sobriety tests and was also issued tickets for the accident.

Oct. 9: Brian G. Short, 38, of the 800 block of Somerset Street in New Lenox, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Police said he ran a red light and made an improper turn on West Maple Street at about 8 p.m. He was given tickets for the traffic violations and posted bond for the DUI charge.

Oct. 8: Rory G. Witte, 25, of the 1800 block of Cornell Drive in New Lenox, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and the failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Police were called to a car accident at Joliet Highway and Westwind Drive at about 5:16 p.m., and while questioning drivers police determined Witte had been drinking. He was given a traffic ticket and posted bond.

Oct. 8: Mark C. Dabaco, 45, of 15001 Preserve Drive in Lockport, was arrested at 12:48 a.m. near Archer Avenue and 131st Street. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and improper lane usage. He was issued an Oct. 28 court date in Bridgeview.

Oct. 3: Desire A. Engel, 24, of 121 N. Hamilton St. in Lockport, was arrested at 11:09 p.m. near 127th Street and Archer Avenue. She was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, no insurance and improper lane usage. She was issued an Oct. 28 court date in Bridgeview.

DID YOU KNOW?

Alcohol-related fatal crashes are three times greater at night than during the day. A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater is the level at which a driver is considered legally intoxicated in Illinois, but a driver can also be arrested and prosecuted for DUI with a BAC in excess of .05 but less than .08, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Police report information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken 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.