Suburban High School Basketball Coach Arrested For DUI
FRANKFORT, Ill. (STMW) -- The head coach for the girls' basketball team at Hillcrest High School in south suburban Country Club Hills was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge earlier this month, according to police and school officials.
John Maniatis, 46, of the 400 block of Pleasant Hill Road in Frankfort, was arrested about 12:45 am. April 4 for misdemeanor DUI, according to Frankfort police. He was also cited for improper lane usage and making an improper turn at an intersection.
Maniatis is head coach of the girls' basketball team at Hillcrest High School, Bremen High School District 228 Superintendent Bill Kendall said. Maniatis is also a social studies teacher, and has worked for nearly 20 years at the school, at 17401 S. Pulaski Rd., Kendall said.
He was arrested following a traffic stop near Route 30 and 93rd Avenue, Frankfort Deputy Police Deputy Chief Kevin Keegan said.
An officer on patrol saw the vehicle going 20 mph in a 40 mph zone, and noticed erratic driving while following the motorist, Keegan said.
During the traffic stop, Maniatis told the officer he had stopped at a bar after leaving a "Gym Jam" basketball game in Country Club Hills, Keegan said, citing the police report. He then failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody.
"Gym Jam" is an informal after-school game for students, a representative from Hillcrest High School said.
As of Monday morning, the district had not taken any disciplinary action against Maniatis, Kendall said.
"We're going to do our investigation and determine our course of action from there," he said. "We just found out about this today."
Maniatis is scheduled to be inducted into the IHSA Girls Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony this month at Illinois State University, according to previous Sun-Times Media reports.
He posted his driver's license and $100 as his bond and was released the same day, Keegan said. Maniatis is next scheduled to appear at the Joliet courthouse May 1.
Neither Maniatis nor the school's principal could be reached for comment Monday morning.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)