Warrant issued for limo driver who missed court date

A limousine driver facing drunken driving charges is in more trouble after failing to appear for a recent court date.

A $50,000 arrest warrant was issued for Richard L. Madison, 55, after he skipped a Tuesday morning hearing during which he was expected to accept a plea deal for his DUI case.

Prosecutors are expected during his next scheduled hearing to ask a judge to forfeit the $330 bail he posted at the time of his May 11, 2013, arrest.

Madison, of Palos Heights, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of reckless conduct after delivering a group of 23 Oswego East High School teens to Glen Ellyn's Abbington Banquets in a party bus.

Officials said the students hired a private limousine service to drive them to the Abbington for their prom. While en route, some of the students became alarmed by the driver's erratic driving, authorities said, and called their parents to notify them of the situation.

A pair of off-duty Oswego police officers providing security at the prom were contacted. They then called the sheriff's office to investigate, leading to Madison's arrest.

DuPage County state's attorney spokesman Paul Darrah said the case against Madison will continue with or without him.

"We are prepared to move forward and go to trial in absentia as long as Mr. Madison remains unaccounted for," he said.