Elgin man charged with fourth DUI
An Elgin man who went to prison for fighting with emergency crews responding to a fire at his parents' home in 2009 was arrested Sunday on felony DUI charges that he had a blood alcohol level of more than three times the legal threshold, police said.
James R. Beavers Jr., 36, of the 500 block of Cumberland Trail, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of aggravated DUI because he has three DUI convictions, according to a police report.
Beavers was free on bond after an arrest in April 2014 in which he is accused of driving drunk, crashing into a house and lying to police that he was chasing a stolen vehicle instead.
In the most recent arrest, an Elgin officer saw Beavers going 20 mph over the limit and crossing over the centerline at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday and pulled him over at Center Street and Kimball Avenue, according to an Elgin police report.
Beavers told the officer he drank four to six beers and should not be driving, the report said. The officer also spotted an open can of beer in the center console, police said.
Beavers, who police said reeked of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests at the station, registered a .281 blood-alcohol concentration on a breath test and became belligerent after he was put in a cell, the report said.
“He continually punched and kicked at his cell to such a degree as to shake the door and so it could be heard on different floors of EPD,” part of the report read. “After approximately four hours, Beavers finally settled down and passed out.”
Bond for Beavers was set at $150,000 Monday morning, and he is next due in court Feb. 19. He was on parole from a November 2009 fire where he fought with paramedics and burned his girlfriend's clothes.
Beavers was acquitted in a 2011 trial of intentionally setting fire to his parent's Elgin home, but later sentenced to nine years prison for aggravated DUI, threatening his girlfriend and fighting with rescue personnel.
A firefighter rescued Beavers' then 2-year-old son, who was strapped in a highchair in the kitchen as smoke swirled around him.
Beavers served half of the nine-year term, was released from prison and arrested in spring 2014.
In the April 2014 incident, Beavers is accused of driving drunk and crashing into a home near Division Street and Hill Avenue and then lying about the circumstances.