Illinois Woman Arrested After Telling Officer His Lights Were Too Bright
An alleged drunk driver was arrested after stopping in the roadway to complain about a police officer's bright lights while the officer was tending to a traffic stop he'd already initiated.
The woman, 52-year-old Ryann I. Bambach, from Fox Lake, Illinois was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, driving on a revoked or suspended license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and improper stopping or parking.
According to the Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney, Kelse Banks, the police officer was conducting a traffic stop in Fox Lake on February 26th. As always, the officer had his emergency lights turned on during the stop to alert traffic to move over.
Banks said that Bambach was driving in the opposite direction when she suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the road. She then rolled down her driver's side window and complained to the officer about the brightness of the emergency lights.
The officers in the area made contact with Bambach and immediately noticed, and determined, that she was showing signs of being under the influence of alcohol.
Banks said the woman had slurred speech, her eyes were bloodshot, and officers smelled the odor of alcohol coming from her.
Bambach exited the vehicle and performed multiple field sobriety tests, and completely failed every one of them.
After the failed tests, officers had to place her under arrest, and they say that's when Bambach became belligerent. They found out that she already had two prior driving under the influence offenses, making this strike three.
Bambach was also not using a valid driver's license - hers had been revoked already because of the prior DUI offenses.
A Lake County judge ordered Bambach be held on a $25,000 bond, which she was able to provide 10% of to leave the jail until her trial. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 20th.
Read more at Lake McHenry Scanner