Drunken Sidewalk Driver Said He Was the 'Most Sober': Police

Riverside, IL - "This is going to be a memorable night for you," a Palatine man told a police officer May 15 as he vomited into a booking room garbage can at the Riverside Police Station.

Robert C. Kaminski, 61 of the 100 block of West Hamilton Drive in Palatine, was pulled over at 12:22 a.m. for speeding 44 mph in a 25 mph zone and for weaving through lanes on Ogden Avenue near Miller, according to Riverside police.

As the arresting officer turned on her police lights, Kaminski drove onto the sidewalk in the 8000 block of West Ogden Avenue and stopped on the sidewalk.

The officer smelled alcohol coming from Kaminski's breath, and he failed field sobriety tests, police reported. Kaminski told the officer he was on his way home, and he said he was the "most sober" and "the designated driver.” He said he believed he was in Berwyn.

“To think that Mr. Kaminski was that drunk and stated that he thought it was acceptable for him to be the 'designated driver' is appalling," said Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel in a statement. "Additionally, he thought he could make it home to Palatine because he was more sober than his drunk passenger. This is just the type of despicable incident where had he not been stopped and arrested, he probably would have either killed himself or someone else on his way home."

A woman in the front passenger seat seemed highly intoxicated and could barely stand. She was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn for treatment of alcohol poisoning and an injured ankle.

Police say Kaminski went into a drunken tirade after he was arrested, swearing at the officer and calling her an idiot and stupid. He tried to kick out the windows of the squad car as he was taken to the Riverside station.

Kaminski refused to blow into the breathalyzer, and he threw up several times in a trash can.

He was charged with speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, improper lane usage, failure to signal when required, improper use of turn signal, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving on a sidewalk.

Kaminski yelled and thrashed through the booking process and wouldn't stop moving for his booking photo.

Photo courtesy of Riverside police.