3 Times The Legal Limit, Drunken Driver Had Only 3 Tires: Forfeiture

JOLIET, IL — Ruben Lopez, a 52-year-old Joliet man with a revoked driver's license, was three times the legal limit to be considered drunk when he was driving his 2004 Honda Civic with only three tires on Dec. 8, according to last week's civil forfeiture complaint from the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

Lopez still remains in the Will County Jail following his Dec. 8 arrest, facing charges of aggravated driving under the influence and driving with a revoked license. His total bail remains $95,000. Lopez comes from Joliet's east side, in the 300 block of Algonquin Street.

The following civil forfeiture complaint from Will County's prosecutors outlines the events leading up to Lopez's arrest in December:

Joliet Police Officer Christopher Ucho saw Lopez's Honda Civic heading west on Cass Street "with the exhaust hanging down from the underside of the vehicle and emitting sparks."

Even after the officer turned on his emergency lights, Lopez continued driving as "Officer Ucho could see the front right wheel ... was missing the tire, and it was moving freely as if not attached to the steering components."

On Maple Street, Lopez would not pull over, even though the officer activated his squad car's flashing lights. When Ucho turned on the loud sirens and spotlight, Lopez made a right turn to Wenberg Street, again not using his turning signal.

"Officer Ucho could still hear a loud grinding noise and smoke was coming from the ... vehicle. The Civic then turned southbound into an alley between Maple Street and Page Street and stopped in the rear of 201 Maple Street, nearly striking a parked vehicle."

When the officer approached the Honda Civic, he saw a can of Modelo beer laying on the floorboard next to the driver's seat.

The officer opened the driver's door "and was immediately overcome by a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the interior ... When Ruben Lopez exited ... he stumbled over his feet and fell to the ground."

Two more Joliet police called to the scene brought Lopez back to the downtown police station. The officers learned that Lopez's driver's license was revoked and he also had an active arrest warrant from the Illinois State Police District 15 for failure to appear in court for another driving under the influence case.

After the 20-minute observation period at the Joliet police station, Lopez submitted to a breath test, registering a 0.236, which is three times the legal limit to be considered drunk in Illinois.

Because Lopez already has a revoked driver's license, and now he faces an aggravated DUI charge, prosecutors have asked that a Will County judge declare Lopez's 2004 Honda Civic to be either forfeited, ordered sold at public auction, destroyed or given to another Illinois police agency.