South Suburban DUI Arrests, July 29

July 10: Police were called about a possible intoxicated driver in a silver Jeep heading east on LaGrange Road, after almost striking another car, around 6:50 a.m. The officer heard several other reports about the same Jeep leaving its lane, almost striking another vehicle and then hitting the curb, before he caught up to the vehicle at 159th Street and Harlem Avenue, according to the report. At first, the vehicle drove without any issues, but then it started going over lane lines, and drove near a van in the other lane, police said. The officer pulled the Jeep over at 159th Street and Oak Park Avenue, police said. The officer smelled alcohol in the Jeep and the driver failed field sobriety tests, police said. Stephanie R. Schow, 32, of the 1600 block of Burry Circle Drive in Crest Hill, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane use and failure to notify about an address change.

July 22: Elvis Balderas, 49, of the 100 block of East 23rd Street in Chicago Heights, was arrested near the intersection of 28th Place and Chicago Road and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, having a blood-alcohol content level over .08, not wearing a seat belt, no rear registration light and illegal transportation of alcohol, police said.

July 14: Dee Anna K. Benner, 64, of the 19500 block of South 115th Avenue in Mokena, was charged with driving under the influence, improper display of registration and improper lane use after a traffic stop near the intersection of LaGrange and Steger roads. Benner was released on bond, and her next court date is Aug. 7.

July 15: Rafael Nicolas, 22, of the 3400 block of 71st Street in Chicago, was charged with drunken driving. He was stopped at 10:57 p.m. for speeding and failed field sobriety tests and a breath test, police said. Nicolas was also driving on a suspended license, police said.



Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.