DUI charges dropped against ex-Blackhawks star Chelios
Hockey great Chris Chelios skated on a drunken driving rap Wednesday after a DuPage County judge quashed his arrest for lack of probable cause.
Attorney Terry Ekl sought the dismissal in light of DuPage Associate Judge Cary Pierce's earlier ruling that insufficient evidence of impairment existed. Prosecutors were left with no other choice but to drop the DUI charge.
Chelios - who just returned to the AHL's Chicago Wolves after a stint with the Atlanta Thrashers - received a $500 fine and was placed on six months' court supervision after pleading guilty to speeding and improper lane usage.
He also must attend a victim-impact panel regarding drunken driving.
"I'm very happy," a contrite Chelios said outside of court. "I'm glad to put it behind me and I will learn from it."
Chelios was arrested after a 4 a.m. Dec. 28 stop on Ogden Avenue near Blackhawk Drive in Westmont. He was charged with DUI, improper lane use and speeding nearly 20 mph over the posted 35 mph limit.
Chelios refused to submit to a breath test, but a Westmont police officer accused him of having bloodshot glassy eyes, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and of performing poorly on field-sobriety tests.
Pierce based his decision on a 15-minute police video of Chelios' stop. On it, Chelios admitted he had "a couple" of drinks. He declined the officer's requests to elaborate. Chelios swayed at one point while performing a balancing test, as well as improperly putting his foot down, but he noted his multiple knee surgeries.
"Can't you just let me go home, please?" Chelios asked the officer. "I'm safe. I'm not a danger. I'm begging for a favor."
During an earlier court hearing, Pierce ruled police did not have reasonable grounds to make the DUI arrest based on the video. The arresting police officer has never appeared in court to offer testimony.
Chelios was stopped one block from his parents' home, where he is staying while he plays for the Wolves. He has 948 points in his 25-year NHL career with the Blackhawks, Detroit and Montreal. He has appeared in an NHL-record 266 playoff games and is a three-time captain for the U.S. Olympic team.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=371514&src=163">Thrashers reassign Chelios to Wolves <span class="date">[04/07/10]</span></a></li>
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