A man was arrested for driving under the influence for his sixth time after he was involved in a crash in Gurnee where he allegedly attempted to drive away from the scene.
Robert A. Randall, 71, of Waukegan, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence sixth or subsequent offense, driving under the influence of alcohol, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver.
The Gurnee Police Department responded around 1:40 p.m. on January 22 to a call of a crash involving Randall’s vehicle and a semi-truck.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Vukovich said the truck had struck Randall’s car and officers arriving found Randall leaving the scene.
Randall’s vehicle had damage to the rear and officers followed him and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
Randall continued driving and pulled into a parking lot after stopping at a red light, Vukovich said.
Officers asked Randall if he was okay due to the crash but Randall remained quiet and appeared lost while mumbling, Vukovich said.
The fire department was called to evaluate Randall, who told officers he consumed two beers three hours earlier.
Vukovich said empty vodka shooter bottles were seen in the car when Randall got out of the vehicle.
Vukovich said Randall had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person and he had red, bloodshot and glassy eyes.
Randall appeared lost, had slurred speech and could not provide his insurance, Vukovich said.
While in the ambulance, Randall said he had two vodka shooters an hour and a half prior.
Randall failed sobriety tests at the scene and refused to provide a breath sample, Vukovich said.
He was taken into custody and officers found more vodka shooter bottles inside the car.
Vukovich said this arrest was Randall’s sixth driving under the influence violation.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted a petition filed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to detain Randall pending trial.
The judge said Randall poses a clear danger to other motorists on the roadway when he decides to drink and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Randall is scheduled to appear in court again on February 19 for a preliminary hearing.