Peoria County judge pleads guilty to DUI

PEKIN -- A Peoria County judge has pleaded guilty to drunken driving and has paid a fine of nearly $2,000.

Associate Judge Albert Purham Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday in Tazewell County after being ticketed on charges of driving under the influence and improper lane usage. Police say he had a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08 percent when he was stopped on June 27.

The 52-year-old Purham also paid a fine, had his license suspended for six months and will be required to have a monitoring device installed in his vehicle if he is granted a driving permit before the suspension is lifted.

Purham was removed from his position as a traffic judge in Peoria County after his arrest and was reassigned to one of the county's two divorce courts.