Woman Had 2 Kids in the Backseat During a Drunken Driving Stop: Blotter

An Orland Park woman was charged with drunken driving and endangering the life of a child after a July 1 incident.

Jennifer M. Hendel, 32, of the 9700 block of Ravinia Lane, was charged with driving under the influence, DUI with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08, two counts of endangering the life of a child and driving without insurance, according to an Orland Park police report.

Police received a call at about 4:28 p.m. on July 1 from a witness who reported seeing a black Volkswagen Jetta driving all of the road on Ravinia Avenue. When police caught up to the car, they noticed that two small children were sitting in the backseat, police said. The cop followed the Jetta and saw it weaving in the lane and come close to striking the curb, according to the report.

Even after the officer turn on his emergency lights, the Jetta continued to drive down Ravinia without stopping, according to the report. It wasn't until police blasted their air horn that the car turned into the Orland Park Public Library parking lot at 14921 Ravinia Avenue, police said.

Police who spoke with the driver, Hendel, noticed breath smelled like alcohol, the report states. Both children in the back were seated in safety seats. Hendel, who was wearing sandals, was asked if she wanted to perform field sobriety tests in her bare feet. After falling twice during those tests, she was arrested and taken to the Orland Park Police Department for booking. She took a breath test while at the police station.

In addition to the DUI charges, Hendel also was given one count of endangering the life of a child for each of the children in her car.

Hendel is due on Aug. 1 in Bridgeview court.

Police report information is provided by law enforcement agencies, including the Orland Park 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 tonotify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.