La Grange DUI Suspect Denied Drinking, Then Admitted It: Cops

La Grange IL

17 September, 2021

1:17 PM

Description

LA GRANGE, IL — A man who drove onto a front yard and sidewalk earlier this month in La Grange was unable to say what town he was in, but maintained at first that he had not been drinking, according to a report. Emanuel Gutierrez, 26, of Chicago, was arrested on a charge of DUI, among other offenses, police said. About 2 a.m. Sept. 4, police got a call that a man, later identified as Gutierrez, was driving onto front yards and sidewalks in the 500 block of North Ashland Avenue. Patch obtained the full police report through a public records request. According to the report, Gutierrez was mumbling and smelled of alcohol. When an officer asked Gutierrez for his driver's license, he handed his entire wallet, police said. The officer found an open can of vodka hard seltzer under the front passenger seat of Gutierrez's car, but Gutierrez denied drinking it. According to the report, he said he had been at the North Coast Festival in Bridgeview. He said he was picking up his friend a couple of blocks away, but he was unable to provide the name of the town he was in, police said. After being arrested, he was informed of his rights, but he agreed to be interviewed anyway, according to the report. He said he "blanked out" on the route he took, then said he decided that he had to answer for his actions, police said. He admitted he had two or three shots of tequila and was drinking from 8 p.m. to midnight, police said. And he confirmed he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at that moment, according to the report. But he said he did not have any of the vodka hard seltzer. About 6 a.m., he was released on bond. Besides DUI, he was charged with driving on a sidewalk, possession of marijuana by a driver, illegal transportation of alcohol and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.