Man Claims Naperville Cop Framed Him For DUI
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- A west suburban man is suing the city of Naperville and a police officer over a false drunk driving arrest during the Memorial Day weekend.
As WBBM Newsardio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, David Briddle, 52, took a breathalyzer test after his drunken driving arrest and blew a 0.0 – no indication of alcohol at all.
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But Briddle, of Glen Ellyn, tells the Chicago Sun-Times that even though he was released without charges, he was still fingerprinted, his mug shot was taken, and his arrest was reported in a local newspaper.
Briddle claims in a federal lawsuit that he was defamed and falsely arrested, and also accuses the Naperville Police Department of racking up DUI arrests just to make a name for itself, the Sun-Times reported.
The arrest report says an officer pulled over Briddle for driving under the speed limit and weaving, and Officer Timothy Curran reported seeing empty wine and cocktail glasses in the car's cupholders and smelling alcohol on Briddle, the newspaper reported.
Naperville had 621 DUI arrests last year, second only to Chicago statewide, the Sun-Times reported. Curran, the arresting officer, has had more than 100 DUI arrests since 2001, the newspaper reported.
Three high-profile cases alleging false DUI arrests have also rocked the Chicago Police Department in recent years.
In 2008, Chicago Police Officer John Haleas was accused of with failing to perform field sobriety tests and lying in reports to charge drivers who were not really drunk with DUI. He faced criminal charges that were later dropped.
The following year, Chicago Police Officer Joe D. Parker was also accused of lying in reports to falsify DUI arrests and was placed on desk duty.
A third Chicago Police officer, Richard Fiorito, was also placed on desk duty in 2009 on claims that he falsified police reports and made up DUI charges against drivers in the Town Hall District, and specifically targeted gays and lesbians. But prosecutors declined to press criminal charges.
