Habitual DUI Driver Ends Up At Riverside Front Door: Cops

RIVERSIDE, IL — A habitual drunken driver's car ended up Thursday near the front door of a house in Riverside after an officer tried to stop him, police said.

About 1 a.m., a Riverside officer clocked a 2017 Nissan speeding 66 mph in a 35 mph zone southbound on First Avenue, according to a police news release.

When the officer tried to pull over the car, the driver headed west on Ridgewood Road and drove over the curb onto private property, through the driveway, over the sidewalk and into grass, police said. He came to a stop at the front door.

The driver was identified as Charles O. Fenner, 32, of Chicago. A can of Modelo beer was found in his car, police said.

When asked for his license, Fenner said he did not have one because it was revoked. An officer checked Fenner's driver's license status and found it to be revoked for several DUI convictions, police said.

When he was at the police station, Fenner's breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of .23, which is about three times the legal limit, according to the news release. His previous felony aggravated DUI convictions were in 2012, 2013 and 2015, police said.

Besides DUIs, Fenner's criminal history of 21 arrests includes offenses such as gambling, criminal trespass, reckless conduct and drugs, police said.

On Thursday, Fenner was charged with felony DUI, felony driving with a revoked license, aggravated speeding, driving an uninsured motor vehicle and improper transportation of alcohol.

In the news release, Police Chief Tom Weitzel said the police department would try to seize Fenner's car.

"If we are awarded the vehicle in court, we will sell the vehicle and use the profits to fight impaired driving," Weitzel said. "If Mr. Fenner had kept driving, he would have driven directly through the front door of a Ridgewood Road home."