Interesting Chicago DUI story regarding a Playboy centerfold who was accused of drunk driving.

DUI charge dropped against Playboy centerfold in Chicago

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter

Prosecutors in Chicago dropped drunk-driving charges against Playboy centerfold model Crystal McCahill today, her lawyer said.

But McCahill — a 5-foot-7 brunette who was Playboy’s Miss May 2009 — pleaded guilty to running a red light.  For that traffic offense, the Chicago woman was ordered to pay a $100 fine and given court supervision.

In a ruling in December, Cook County Judge Thomas V. Lyons had agreed with McCahill that Chicago police didn’t have sufficient cause to charge her with DUI after pulling her over for driving her 2005 Volkswagen Passat through a stop light at Chicago and Wood on the city’s Near North Side on Jan. 7, 2009.

The police said McCahill voluntarily accompanied an officer to the 13th District station.

McCahill’s lawyer disputed that, saying she thought she was under arrest. He argued there wasn’t cause to arrest her because the officer hadn’t performed a field-sobriety test.

Just goes to show what a quality Chicago DUI Attorney can do.  Police make these types of mistakes all the time.

Our Chicago DUI Attorneys have noticed an increase in the number of DUI checkpoints as the State desperately attempts to solve its financial problems by hi-jacking your 4th Amendment Rights.  As predicted, two more checkpoints are coming this weekend.

ROADSIDE SAFETY CHECK IN THE MONROE (012TH) DISTRICT
The Chicago Police Department will conduct a Roadside Safety Check in the Monroe (012th) District at 2451 S. Ashland. The Roadside Safety Check will commence at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19, 2010 and end at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 20, 2010.

ROADSIDE SAFETY CHECK IN THE GRAND CROSSING (003RD) DISTRICT
The Chicago Police Department will conduct a Roadside Safety Check in the Grand Crossing (003rd) District at 7424 S. Stony Island. The Roadside Safety Check will commence at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, 2010 and end at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Be careful out there, folks.

Remember our Chicago DUI Lawyer post about the extremes that the police will go to to violate your rights in the name of a drunk driving arrest?

Handcuffed nurse settles for $78,000

A nurse who was handcuffed when she refused to draw blood from a drunken-driving suspect has settled her lawsuit against a Chicago Police officer for $78,000, according to city records.

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center nurse Lisa Hofstra sued Officer Marcelo Rodriguez and the city, saying she was handcuffed and forced to sit in the back of a squad car for 45 minutes in August. She said Rodriguez became belligerent when she told him the hospital could not draw blood until the driver was admitted as a patient.

“It is important to remember that nurses work for hospitals and not the Chicago Police Department,” Hofstra’s attorney Blake Horwitz said Tuesday. Horwitz said his client understands the need for officers to obtain blood samples, but “it just has to be done through proper means.”

Chalk one up for sanity.

As predicted in our earlier post by our Chicago DUI Attorney, here comes the increase in drunk driving checkpoints.

Two this weekend, as detailed below.

DUI STRIKE FORCE PATROL IN THE HARRISON (011TH) DISTRICT
The Chicago Police Department will conduct a DUI Strike Force Patrol in the Harrison (011th) District beginning at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 12, 2010 and ending at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

DUI STRIKE FORCE PATROL IN THE MORGAN PARK (022ND) DISTRICT The Chicago Police Department will conduct a DUI Strike Force Patrol in the Morgan Park (022nd) District beginning at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, March 14, 2010 and ending at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2010.

I guess the State of Illinois has to balance the budget somehow.  Be careful out there, folks.

It is important to content a personal injury attorney immediately if you are ever involved in an accident that is not your fault and resulted in an injury. If you have emotional or physical damages, you are entitled to compensation. The quicker you talk to a lawyer, the better.

When you contact a personal injury attorney, Chicago law firms will be eager to take you on as a client. You must remember to ask a lot of questions before you decide on which lawyer is best for you. You will want to ask such questions as, how many personal injury cases have you been involved with in the past? What is your success rate? What do you think my chances are of winning compensation for my injuries? What happens if I don’t win?

With a personal injury attorney, Chicago law firms know that people want someone they can trust and that has a proven track record. That being said, never be afraid to ask the attorney about his or her past cases and the results.

It is a good idea to at least seek the console of a personal injury attorney if you are ever injured in a public mall, shop or restaurant. Or if you are injured outside of a public mall, shop or restaurant. If possible, you should take pictures of the scene exactly how and where the injury took place. Pictures can help you later on in your case because they may be able to prove any neglect or carelessness on the part of the mall, shop or restaurant.

For example, a common person injury lawsuit is when a restaurant or a mall mops the floor and fails to warn anyone of the slippery floors with the proper sign. If someone slips and falls and injures themselves as a result of the wet floor, the person who has been injured has a right to sue and possibly collect damages. This is when it is important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney who has won similar cases in the past.

Illinois in general has really been cracking down on drunk driving, especially within the major metropolitan areas like Chicago. Both minors and those at a legal drinking age should know that it is one hundred percent illegal to drive while under any influence of alcohol.

If you get caught drinking and driving, you will need a DUI attorney. Chicago police have been known to install last-minute check points at major intersections in the city and the suburbs in which they make anyone passing through take a breathalyzer test. These spontaneous check points are a great way to catch buzz drinkers off their guard.

Keep in mind that any amount of drinking combined with driving is illegal. Many people who drink at a bar or at a friend’s house tend to think that, if they are a little buzzed, it is still okay to drive. However, this is a common misconception because you can still be arrested for reckless driving even if your blood-alcohol content is below the legal limit.

If you need a DUI attorney, Chicago law firms around the city can offer their expert advice and services. If you do get arrested for drunk driving, it is important to consult your DUI attorney immediately and preferably before answering any questions that the police may ask you.

Sometimes attorneys recommend abstaining from the breathalyzer test if you are prompted to take one. It is always best to get the advice of a DUI attorney, in terms of what to do if such a situation should arise, before an actual event may occur. That way you are prepared and you know what to do to help your attorney argue the best case for you.

If you are unsure where to find the best DUI attorney for you, just do a simple search on the Internet and look at all of your options. You may ask the attorney how many DUI cases they have won or how experienced they are with the DUI subject. The more questions you ask, the better prepared you will be if you should one day find yourself pulled over for drunk driving.



This latest story comes as no surprise to our Chicago DUI Lawyers.  Another fine example of how, if challenged, most of the evidence used to convict someone of driving under the influence is actually bunk.

Test indicating judge was drunk barred from trial

BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter

A hospital blood test that purportedly showed former Lake County Chief Judge David Hall was intoxicated when he was arrested for drunken driving by Vernon Hills police won’t be allowed at his trial.

Judge F. Keith Brown on Tuesday tossed out the blood sample, ruling proper medical protocols weren’t followed in taking the sample after Hall was brought to a Libertyville hospital after his arrest April 28, 2008.

The blood test showed Hall had a blood-alcohol level of .10 percent –higher than the .08 legal limit.

But Brown, a Kane County judge brought in to Lake County to preside over the case, barred the test result from being admitted as evidence when Hall stands trial next week on DUI and resisting arrest charges.

Brown ruled the blood sample should have been tested at the hospital where the blood was drawn, rather than at the Illinois State Police crime laboratory, where it was analyzed about 2½ weeks after Hall’s arrest. The decision creates another obstacle for prosecutors. Arresting officer Jesse Goldsmith died of a heart attack a few weeks after the arrest.