Articles Posted in Speeding

On Sunday, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law restricting police departments from imposing ticket quotas on officers in Illinois. The Governor stated that officers should “not be forced to ticket motorists to satisfy a quota system” and explained that the new law will “prevent motorists from facing unnecessary anxiety when they encounter a…

Final notice was given by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office Wednesday before the new automated speed cameras near parks and schools we begin issuing real tickets. Some of the cameras have been running under a grace period over the last couple of months but will soon be switching to enforcement mode as early as Wednesday. However,…

A five-year contract to install speed cameras in Chicago was finalized by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration last week. The $67 million contract allows the installation of up to 300 cameras designed to catch speeders around city schools and parks. As few as 50 locations could be in operation this year due to a slow rollout.…

Dean A. Suominen, 37, of Shorewood avoided jail time after pleading guilty Tuesday in DuPage County to misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving after officials allege he was traveling at more than 140 mph at the time of the incident. Suominen was charged on January 10, 2012 after his Dodge Charger veered off the road, went…

Hector Barajas, 23, was charged with driving under the influence as a result of a two-car crash that left one man dead and three other people injured. One of the vehicles hit a light pole. One victim was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital an hour after the crash. Two of the other victims were…

Mark E. Ditka, 48, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, failure to display registration and speeding. Deerfield police attempted to pull Ditka over when they noticed his vehicle did not have a front license plate. He allegedly continued to drive after police flagged him down and was speeding ten miles over the…

Henry Jesus Mendez, 21, was arrested in connection with car chase that resulted in a crash in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Mendez allegedly began firing a gun at individuals he recently had an altercation with at a nearby nightclub. Police officers heard the gunshots and responded to the scene where witnesses pointed out the…

William Anthony Howe was driving a Porsche the wrong-way on Interstate 88 when he struck a vehicle killing a woman and her father and seriously injuring her husband. Howe remains hospitalized. He has not yet been charged with the crash or been confirmed as the driver. However, witnesses reported he was swerving all over the…

Marquis Harrison, a 16 year-old honors student at Urban Prep Charter Academy, left a party around 6 a.m. on July 11 allegedly high on ecstasy, marijuana, and vodka. Harrison noticed that the driver of a Range Rover went to pay the parking meter in Old Town and seized the opportunity. He proceeded to steal the…

Paul Woodard walked into court with his public defender with hopes that his $20,000 bail would be reduced to $10,000. However, Assistant States Attorney Andrew Whitfield told a Kane County Judge about Woodward’s 25 previous driving on revoked charges, seeking to increase his bond to $150,000. Judge Kostelny instead raised his bond to $75,000. Whitfield…