Wheeling man charged with 10th DUI, bail set at $225,000
A Wheeling man who authorities say has nine prior driving under the influence convictions on his record now faces a 10th after Wheeling police arrested him in connection with a hit-and-run crash Tuesday night.
Luis Basilio, 38, of the 200 block of 7th Street, would be sentenced to a minimum six years in prison if found guilty of his latest aggravated driving under the influence charge, authorities said.
"I do find him to be a danger to society," Cook County Judge Joseph M. Cataldo said Wednesday before setting Basilio's bail at $225,000.
A Cook County prosecutor said Basilio was driving south on Wheeling Road near the intersection with Exchange Court about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday, when he crossed the centerline and sideswiped a car headed the other direction.
Basilio drove away from the scene, but the person he crashed into and another driver who witnessed the collision followed him, authorities said. They called police and tracked Basilio to Wheeling Road's intersection with Catherine Court, where officers stopped him, authorities said.
Police reported noticing signs of intoxication on Basilio, including red, glassy eyes and a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, authorities said.
Basilio initially gave officers his brother's driver's license, and further investigation revealed that he has gone by four other aliases, a prosecutor said Wednesday. The aliases allowed Basilio to continue driving, despite the previous DUI convictions, Wheeling Deputy Police Chief Todd Wolff said.
Basilio received his first DUI in 1996, when he was either 18 or 19 years old, authorities said. In addition to his prior DUIs, he has failed to appear for scheduled court dates seven times.
Melinda Rosales, the public defender assigned to Basilio, asked Cataldo to set a lower bond, allowing him to receive treatment for alcoholism.
Basilio, who remained in custody Thursday at the Cook County jail, is scheduled to return to court Jan. 26.
• Daily Herald staff writer Chacour Koop contributed to this report.