Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele to get license back after DUI arrest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele can get her driver's license back for now, after she was arrested on drunk driving crashes last month.
Steele, who serves the three-member panel that hears property tax appeals in Cook County, was arrested on Nov. 10, after crashing into two parked cars in the 5000 block of North Ashland Avenue, and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence.
Her license was suspended after her arrest, but after her attorney argued in court on Friday that police acted improperly by not properly warning her of the consequences of refusing a field sobriety test, and a judge granted Steele's request to get her license back while the case against her continues.
Body camera footage from the arrest shows Steele, 45, repeatedly refused police requests to show officers her driver's license and proof of insurance, telling them that a friend of hers who is an attorney was on the way.
"I'll wait for him," Steele said. "I'm an elected official. I don't want any of this, and I'll wait for him."
After repeatedly telling Steele she could be arrested if she refused to show ID or proof of insurance, body camera video shows an officer had her call her friend, who explained to her that she should show police her license and proof of insurance while waiting for him to arrive.
After finally providing her license and proof of insurance, officers later found an open half-empty bottle of wine in the car, though she insisted she had not been drinking.
Steele initially refused to take a field sobriety test, and was handcuffed. She later agreed to take a field sobriety test, but then said she hit her head during the crash, and wanted an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She was handcuffed again and taken to an ambulance.
According to published reports, Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton has confirmed he was acting as her attorney that night, but is not representing her going forward. According to court records, attorney John Fotopoulos is representing Steele on the DUI charge.
Steele is due back in court on Feb. 14.
