Ex-Westmont fire chief acquitted of drunken driving
Former Westmont Fire Chief Frank Trout was found not guilty Wednesday of driving drunk in a December accident.
Trout, 67, was acquitted of misdemeanor DUI by DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan after a bench trial. At the same court appearance, Trout pleaded guilty to failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and was placed on six months’ court supervision.
Trout was arrested in late December after he drove into a parked car on the 3900 block of Adams Street in unincorporated DuPage, about a mile from his home in Westmont. He told the owner of the unoccupied car he had been drinking but refused sobriety tests requested by police, according to testimony. No one was hurt.
On Wednesday, Brennan called the accident “suggestive of impairment” but said Trout displayed no obvious signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech or poor balance. “There’s no way this court can find on the totality of the evidence a verdict of guilty,” Brennan said.
Trout — who has said he was forced to retire after his arrest — declined to comment as he left court with his wife. His attorney, Pat Weiland, said it was unfortunate the longtime chief lost his job before he had a chance to defend himself.
“Essentially, he didn’t even get his day in court,” Weiland said.
Trout will be unable to drive for the first 30 days of his supervision. After that, he can apply for a permit to drive a vehicle equipped with a breath-testing device on the ignition until his supervision is complete. He was also ordered to attend a victim impact panel.
Trout had testified he drank three beers with food over a span of several hours before the accident. He said he was off-duty and attending memorial gatherings following the funeral of a close friend.
His prior driving record was “pristine,” Weiland said.
“It was never a question in my mind if he had a case he could win,” he said.
Trout, a Vietnam War veteran, was a Westmont police officer for 22 years and fire chief for 20. He was not driving a municipal vehicle when the crash occurred.