DuPage board member facing DUI charge

A longtime DuPage County Board member, Grant Eckhoff, is facing a DUI charge after a traffic stop outside his Wheaton home.

Eckhoff, 55, of the 200 block of North Erie Street, was charged with one count of DUI and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to a Wheaton Police Department report.

Eckhoff was arrested around 8:30 p.m. March 2 at his home address, according to the report.

"He was, in fact, stopped in his own driveway," Eckhoff's attorney, Harry Smith, said. "He had a very calm interaction with the Wheaton Police Department. So there was nothing extraordinary or aggravated about the circumstance."

Eckhoff declined to comment Wednesday and referred all questions to his attorney. Smith said his client might issue a statement after the case is resolved.

Smith said Eckhoff is planning to plead innocent to the DUI charge. He also said Eckhoff has automotive insurance but didn't have a valid insurance card with him.

Eckhoff, a Republican, serves as chairman of the county board's judicial and public safety committee. He won re-election in November to his position as one of three county board members representing District 4, which includes all or parts of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Wheaton and Winfield.