A Cook dinner County elected official tried to flee the scene of a crash she allegedly prompted whereas driving drunk final month in Andersonville, in line with a 911 caller who informed a dispatcher she was clearly intoxicated.
Samantha Steele, a Democratic member of the obscure however influential Cook dinner County Board of Evaluate, is dealing with a misdemeanor cost of driving underneath the affect following the Nov. 11 crash within the 5000 block of North Ashland Avenue.
Nobody was injured within the collision, however two parked vehicles had been broken, and Steele’s Honda was left inoperable. Nonetheless, she allegedly tried to take off earlier than police arrived on the scene.
“She’s attempting to show her wheels and escape, however her automobile is tousled. She’s not going wherever. She’s been speaking about she doesn’t need to take care of this,” Dylan Roh informed a 911 dispatcher, describing Steele as “drunk” and “tousled.”
In an interview, Roh and his companion Eli Montemayor recalled that they had been getting ready to place their little one to sleep after they heard the crash, ran to their window and realized their automobile had been struck. Montemayor, who makes use of they/them pronouns, mentioned they rushed exterior and located Steele sitting in her automobile.
“Instantly, it was actually clear to me that she was underneath the affect of one thing,” Montemayor mentioned. “Her eyes had been type of like rolling again into her head and … there was a very lengthy delay between her solutions to me, prefer it appeared like my phrases weren’t actually touchdown.”
Montemayor mentioned Steele finally indicated that she wished to depart after Montemayor tried to swap insurance coverage data. “She was like, ‘I don’t actually need to take care of this. Can I’m going?’ ” Montemayor recalled.
A short while later, Montemayor and Roh mentioned they individually witnessed Steele turning her automobile’s steering wheel in what they considered as makes an attempt to flee. Roh mentioned he noticed Steele’s Honda “jerk” ahead about 2 toes, however the critical harm to her automobile doubtless prevented her from driving away.
Montemayor mentioned they had been “genuinely a bit of bit mind-blown” after they discovered Steele holds a public workplace.
“That is an elected official who very simply may have killed one of many individuals who may have elected her,” Montemayor mentioned. “She serves constituents who’re close by — like that was insane.”
When police responded to Roh’s name, Steele made positive the officers knew she was a politician.
One officer informed her, “Ma’am, in case you don’t exit the automobile. … I’m going that can assist you to exit, and also you don’t need that.”
“You don’t need that! I’m an elected official,” Steele allegedly shot again.
“Elected official of what?” the officer requested.
“Cook dinner County,” Steele informed him.
When the officer requested for her title, Steele held out her hand and mentioned, “I’m Sam.”
The cop replied, “Sam who?” However Steele didn’t give the police her full title at that time.
Regardless of a number of requests, Steele wouldn’t initially present officers along with her driver’s license or get out of the automobile.
Sitting within the driver’s seat, she drank from what gave the impression to be a water bottle and used her cellphone to name the individual she described many occasions as her legal professional — Democratic Cook dinner County Commissioner Scott Britton of Glenview. She solely gave her driver’s license to police and left the automobile after Britton suggested her over the cellphone to take action.
Cook dinner County Commissioner Scott R. Britton, seen at a board assembly of the Cook dinner County Forest Protect on the County Constructing on Dec. 17, 2019, has mentioned he isn’t a protection legal professional and won’t be representing Samantha Steele in her case.
Ashlee Rezin/Solar-Occasions file
After Britton arrived on the scene, Steele mentioned she was not consuming from a half-empty bottle of wine that was discovered within the automobile. Britton interjected: “Don’t say something. Don’t say something.”
Two days after the arrest, Britton mentioned he was not a protection legal professional and wouldn’t be representing Steele in her case.
The legal professional Steele has employed, John Fotopoulos, declined to remark for this story. Fotopoulos has filed a movement looking for to reinstate Steele’s driver’s license, which was suspended after the crash.
Steele’s preliminary court docket look is about for Dec. 27.
In the meantime, Steele continues to serve on a three-member board that has the facility to rule on property tax appeals, successfully lowering tax payments. An Evanston resident, she represents the board’s district overlaying a lot of Chicago’s North Facet and its northern suburbs.
Amid requires her resignation, she appeared just about earlier this month on the board’s first public assembly since she was arrested.
