Woman Celebrates End Of DUI Suspension With New DUI

Brookfield, IL – Question: What’s the best way to celebrate the return of your driver’s license after a DUI suspension? If you answered “going out and getting wasted!” then you’re probably 58-year-old Erin James, who has to surrender her license to the state of Illinois all over again.

A news release from the Riverside Police Department details James’ charges, revealing that she was stopped for speeding around 2am on Friday in the 3400 block of South Harlem Avenue. She was later given a breathalyzer test at the police department, showing a blood alcohol level of 0.155 percent.

Pro-tip: The legal limit is 0.08.

James had already had her driver’s license suspended in 2012 after a DUI arrest in North Riverside, and told a police officer that she was out on Friday celebrating the fact that she would soon be getting it back.

According to Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel, James should have been driving a vehicle that includes a breath alcohol ignition interlock device (or a BAIID), which is a breathalyzer-esque device mounted in the dashboard of a vehicle. Basically, you need to breathe into it before you can start your car. If you pass the test, you can turn the engine over.

Weitzel said that James was driving a vehicle with a BAIID on purpose.

“The fact that she was driving a vehicle not equipped with a BAIID shows that she had every intent of drinking and getting behind the wheel,” he said in the release.

James will appear in Central Bond Court today.

The moral of the story is obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Don’t get a DUI.

[Image via: Edw, Shutterstock]