Former attorney faces DUI charges after ramming police car
An otherwise unremarkable DUI arrest in Bond County appears to have acquired special significance because the suspect is a former attorney from Edwardsville. The suspect is facing 10 criminal charges, including a DUI, as the result of her alleged refusal to heed an officer’s demand that she stop her vehicle and her intentional ramming of a police vehicle.
The suspect was spotted by a police officer on Interstate 70 in Bond County. He turned on his lights as a signal to the driver to pull over. According to the officer’s account of the incident, the driver did not stop and, instead, exited the interstate. She then ran a stop sign and turned onto the overpass. As the officer followed her, she slowed and attempted to turn around. The officer parked his car to block the overpass road, and the driver continued moving. She allegedly rammed the police vehicle at a low rate of speed. The driver then came to a halt and was arrested. Newspaper accounts of the incident did not indicate whether the driver submitted to a field sobriety test. She has been charged with DUI, fleeing from a police officer, assault with a vehicle and damage to government property.
The defendant does not appear to be registered to practice law in Illinois for 2018, but the expired registration does not appear to be related to the traffic charges. Whether the traffic charges will affect any future effort to re-register cannot be predicted at this time. The defendant was released after posting a $5,000 bond.
Attempting to elude police is never a wise choice. The suspect in this case made her situation materially worse by ignoring the police officer’s request to stop. Anyone in a similar situation may benefit by consulting with a knowledgeable DUI defense attorney. An experienced lawyer can provide a helpful analysis of the evidence and law that will determine the outcome of the case.
Source: Belleville News-Democrat, “Former Edwardsville family law attorney charged with DUI, striking police car after pursuit,” Kaley Johnson, March 20, 2018
