Driver with suspended license charged with DUI in Wheeling crash

A 61-year-old man with three DUI-related convictions was ordered held on $35,000 bail Tuesday on charges stemming from a crash Monday in Wheeling.

James May, whose address authorities did not mention, is charged with aggravated DUI, aggravated driving on a revoked license and misdemeanor assault and resisting a police officer. If convicted of the most serious charge, May faces up to seven years in prison. Probation also is possible.

Wheeling police officers responded to a report of a crash in the 0-100 block of Milwaukee Avenue about 5 p.m. Monday, said Assistant Cook County State's Attorney C.J. Orrantia. They noted that May, the driver of a white Chevrolet involved in the accident, had glassy eyes, an odor of alcohol and slurred speech, Orrantia said.

According to a firefighter at the scene, May, while his hands were clenched in fists, told a responding firefighter not to touch him, Orrantia said. Tests later taken at NorthShore Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview indicated May had a blood alcohol content of .272, he said. That number is more than three times the legal limit for driving.

Another driver suffered neck and back injuries, Orrantia said in response to Cook County Judge Ellen Mandeltort's question about crash-related injuries. Orrantia provided no other information.

According to Orrantia, May has felony convictions from 2006, 2008 and 2010 for driving on a suspended or revoked license, all of which resulted in incarceration. He next appears in court on Oct. 1.

Mandeltort ordered that May cannot drive if released on bond.