Driver Charged with DUI After Allegedly Driving Through Ditch: Blotter

'What Did I Do?'

A Joliet woman who drove through a drainage ditch asked police "What did I do?" when police stopped her car.

Yesenia Flores, 24, of the 500 block of Landan Avenue, was charged with driving under the influence, DUI with a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08, possession of open alcohol, driving without proof of insurance, improper lane use and making an improper turn, according to a report.

Chicago Heights police were searching for a tan vehicle that was "all over the roadway" and had driven into a drainage ditch, the report states. They caught up to it at about 1:35 a.m. near the intersection of Joe Orr Road and State Street.

The tan vehicle nearly struck two cars halted at the intersection before it stopped for police."What did I do?" Flores asked police when they approached her vehicle, according to the report. An officer could smell a strong oder of alcohol on the her breath. A glass beer bottle was spotted next to the driver's leg.

Flores was arrested after performing field sobriety tests, according to police. She later took a breath test for her BAC. A passenger in her car was cited for having an open container of alcohol.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

Running A Red Light

A Steger man allegedly drove through a red light in front of a cop and ended up with drunken driving charges.

Brandon D. Shaffer, 22, of the 3300 block of Green Street, was charged with driving under the influence, DUI with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08 and disobeying a traffic control device, according to a report.

Police, who had the green light, were approaching the intersection of Halsted and 14th streets, when a 2000 Chevy Cavalier that had been stopped at the light proceeded to run the red, the report states. Officers stopped Shaffer's car a short distance away.

It reportedly took Shaffer, who had been headed home, several tries to find his license in his wallet, police said. He was arrested after performing field sobriety tests.

Police report information is provided by the Chicago Heights Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.