Cinco De Mayo: Help Get DUI Offenders Off the Streets

View the slideshow to see our Top Ten Most Wanted DUI offenders.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Needs Your Help

Help Get DUI Offenders Off the Streets

 Angela Roewe

 In 2008, 13,294 alcohol-related crash fatalities occurred within the United States, according to the DUI Fact Book, which is published annually. Sadly, 408 of those were in Illinois.

More than 48,000 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests were made in Illinois that same year. Approximately 225 occurred in St. Clair County. Although the arrests were made, not all offenders have paid the price.

According to St. Clair County Maj. James Lay, countless individuals charged for DUIs either never show up for their court appearance or fail to return for sentencing, and remain on the streets, possibly behind the wheel repeating the offense, endangering the lives of innocent drivers. This is where the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department needs your help.           

This information was was originally published in the Belleville News Democrat on May 2, 2010 and is accurate as of that date. 

Currently, 2,022 St. Clair County arrest warrants are open for individuals charged with DUIs – 746 areIllinois residents; 700, Missouri residents; and the remaining live out of state. Despite the St. Clair County Department’s continuous efforts, it is near impossible to track down these alleged perpetrators who have chosen to live quietly, hoping not to be located by law enforcement.

Thanks to an annual Higher Back grant, Sheriff Mearl Justus has chosen to release the names of the top 1,500 county DUI offenders, 26 of which have DUI felony charges against them.

“These people have yet to either appear in court, return for sentencing, pay fines, or serve time in a correctional facility or an alcohol abuse rehabilitation program,” Lay said. “The goal of this publication is that community members will call us or their law enforcement agencies with the charged individuals’ whereabouts.”

The top 10-pictured individuals are repeat offenders, being arrested up to four times in some cases, and not paying the price of the initial charges, Lay said. Some have been charged with aggravated DUIs because of bodily harm incurred or having a child in the car while driving under the influence, etc.

“Many of these people continue to drive repeating their original actions, putting themselves and others at risk,” Lay said. “We are asking the public to study these names and faces, and if they know where one is working, living or socializing that they call us. The call can be anonymous or not if they wish. We want to get these people in the system and through it so justice is served.”

Today’s chosen run date was selected because of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, which Justus said has the highest DUI figures locally than any other holiday.   From 1999 – 2005, an average of 43 percent of all highway fatalities each year on May 5 and the early morning hours of May 6 we caused by drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or higher, according to the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“We continually strive to get the word out about the statistics and repercussions of driving under the influence,” Justus said. “If a person chooses to drink, they should not drive. We hear it time and time again when we pull them over. They say ‘I’m OK to drive.’ And they are not OK to drive. Call a friend or a cab. Don’t put others in harms way.”

If you have information about these individuals or their whereabouts, please call 1-800-640-DIME (3463), this is a voice mail system only.  If you would like to talk to a deputy call 618-277-3505 or file a report online at www.thebadge.us