Police: 62-year-old man was drunk when he crashed into school bus in Palatine

A 62-year-old Palatine man who was involved in a car crash with a school bus Thursday afternoon has been charged with a felony DUI, authorities said Monday.

Gregory A. Wells, of the 900 block of North Maple Avenue, was driving his car near the intersection of South Roselle Road and West St. James Court at 3:21 p.m. Thursday when he sideswiped the left side of a school bus, Palatine police said Monday. No one was injured in the crash.

Cmdr. Jason Watson said several indicators led police to suspect Wells was intoxicated, including that his breath smelled like alcohol, his speech was slurred and his eyes were glassy. Wells refused to participate in field sobriety tests, Watson said.

Wells subsequently was charged with a felony DUI because he has had more than three previous DUI violations, officials said.

A judge set Wells bail at $10,000, which means he would need to pay $1,000 to leave jail while his case in pending. Watson said he didn't know if Wells remained behind bars Monday night.

Wells is next due in court on May 1.