Prosecutors: Wheeling man found in car smoking marijuana

A Wheeling man was arrested early Thursday after police said they found him smoking marijuana in the back seat of a car.

Carlos Almanza was charged with a non-probationable class 2 DUI, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. He was ordered held on $75,000 bail.

Police observed Almanza back out of a parking space in a Wheeling apartment complex about 12:53 a.m. Thursday without putting on his headlights, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney David Shin said. Almanza parked the vehicle nearby and got into the back seat, Shin said.

Officers who approached the car observed smoke and marijuana, Shin said. They said Almanza had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the odor of an alcoholic beverage about him.

Almanza admitted to police he saw them and drove away to avoid detection, Shin said. Almanza also admitted drinking four 12-ounce cans of beer, Shin said.

Police recovered 4½ grams of a leafy green substance that tested positive for marijuana, Shin said.

Almanza's background includes a DUI conviction in 2002 for which he was sentenced to one year in prison. He also received supervision for a 1994 DUI, Shin said.

Almanza next appears in court on June 3.