Highwood Mayor Remorseful After DUI Arrest

Highwood Mayor, Charlie Pecaro, was arrested over Labor Day weekend for driving under the influence after officers witnessed him following too closely and driving with his headlights off.

A Judge agreed to a deferred judgement with a year of court supervision. As a result, the DUI will not appear on Pecaro’s public record unless he violates the courts terms, which would lead to a conviction for DUI.

Highland Park police did not release the arrest report until after the case had been settled. The report describes Pecaro as being cooperative and apologetic. Pecaro admitted to drinking five glasses of red wine at a family Labor Day dinner party. After struggling with four field sobriety tests, Pecaro’s blood alcohol content was 0.129.

Pecaro said he felt fine when he had left the party and did not realize he was not fit to drive. “It makes you stop and think,” Pecaro said. “Drink responsibly and plan ahead, even if you’re just with family.”

Highwood mayor on DUI arrest: ‘I let my guard down’, www.triblocal.com, September 24, 2011