Principal Argues With Elmhurst Cops In DUI Arrest: Police

ELMHURST, IL – Bolingbrook High School's principal denied he had been drinking and informed police of his position in a December arrest in Elmhurst, authorities said.

At the police station, Jason Pascavage, 46, got on his knees in the booking area, refusing to leave, police said. An officer described him as "belligerent."

On Wednesday, Patch obtained the full police report through a public records request.

Pascavage, who lives in unincorporated Elmhurst, has been Bolingbrook High's principal since 2016. His salary is $214,000.

He was charged with DUI, improper lane usage, driving with expired license plates and failure to yield to emergency vehicles.

The stop was about 1 a.m. Dec. 17. It was a Tuesday; school was scheduled for later in the morning.

According to the report, an officer saw Pascavage driving his Ford F150 pickup truck on York Street near Elmhurst Hospital.

Pascavage crossed over the line separating lanes, police said.

The officer determined that Pascavage's Montana license plate expired in August 2024. Then, the officer activated his emergency lights.

Pascavage did not stop right away, but continued to his house on Concord Street, police said.

The officer described Pascavage as having bloodshot eyes, slurring his words and smelling of alcohol. The principal said he had been watching a Bears game at a bar, police said.

He repeatedly denied having anything to drink at the bar – in his words, "zero" – though he said at one point that he had a Miller Lite beer, police said.

He said that if his car smelled of alcohol, it was because he had dropped off his drinking friend "Dave" in Lombard, according to the report.

Several times, Pascavage told the officer that they were at his house.

The officer told Pascavage that he was trying to help him get on his way.

Pascavage replied, "Then help me. I'm principal of the high school. I literally live right here," according to the report.

Asked to clarify his position, Pascavage said he was the principal of Bolingbrook High.

During his sobriety tests, Pascavage had trouble balancing and refused to take a breath test, the report said.

While the officer read Pascavage his Miranda rights at the police station, the principal kept interrupting him, telling the officer he was being dishonest, according to the complaint.

"When asked to sign for his belongings, Jason began to argue and yell that someone put me up to this," the officer wrote in the report.

Pascavage refused to leave the booking area, arguing, yelling and demanding a supervisor, police said.

He was told he could speak to a supervisor in the police station's lobby. But he continued to be "belligerent" and ignored officers' repeated requests for him to leave, police said.

"He held his hands up in the air and then got (onto) his knees in the doorway between the booking area and sally port," the officer said.

After some back and forth, officers got Pascavage to move, according to the report.

He continued to argue with a sergeant in the parking lot, even though his wife was there to take him home, police said.

"Jason eventually got into the vehicle with his wife, but he required a police escort home due to his behavior," the report said.

Pascavage did not return Patch's emailed message for comment Wednesday.

His trial date has not been set.