Driver Wanted on Warrant Faces Another DUI Charge

A Matteson man wanted for failing to appear in court on a drunken driving charge is again in trouble with police.

Tomas Bahena-Garcia, 31, of the first block of Patterson, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without lights, and driving with a revoked license, according to a Mokena police report.

Mokena police spotted a car at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 30 drive through the intersection of First Street and Division Street without headlights on, the report states. Cops pulled the car over and noticed that the driver had an open Corona beer bottle sticking out of a red plastic cup in the center console.

The driver, Bahena-Garcia, showed the officer a driver's license from Mexican but did not have one from the U.S., the report states. Police noticed that he had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Bahena-Garcia claimed at first that he drank 2 beers that night, but later told police it was "maybe 3 beers."

Bahena-Garcia said he was driving to Matteson and that he was sorry for not turning on his headlights, police said.

Police arrested Matteson after he performed tests for sobriety, the report states. He refused to take a breath test while in police custody.

A check also showed that the Bahena-Garcia was wanted on a DuPage County warrant for failing to appear in court for a DUI charge.

Police blotter information is provided by the Mokena Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken 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.