Home > Investigations > Possible Chicago Police Department Fraudulent DUI Arrests Class Action
Chicago Police Department
October 31 2007
A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status against a police officer for allegedly failing to follow procedures for DUI arrests. The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Chicago, IL and claims officer John Haleas wrote false reports and falsely imprisoned citizens. Haleas was disciplined after dozens of DUI cases had to be dismissed for his alleged misconduct.
One plaintiff claims he was in his car, but not driving at the time of his arrest. He was not given a sobriety test until at the Grand Central District police station, and testing was inconclusive. In that case, Haleas claimed the plaintiff was driving and refused to take a breath test. The plaintiff was released but still charged with DUI.
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I was handcuffed, locked up, interrogated and had several police officers try to convince me that I had been drinking, even though I told them I wasn't. It was 6:00 in the morning, my wife was hospitalized the day before and I hadn't slept well, so they decided I was drunk because I was tired. I walk with a slight limp because I just had ACL reconstruction surgery on my right knee 12 weeks ago. I wasn't given any roadside tests, just the breathalizer at the police station which registered 0.00. The police decided that I was on prescription painkillers because I explained that I had a recent leg surgery, and even showed them the scars on my leg. I don't know who gave them a license to decide what medications people are prescribed. The prescriptions I am taking are anti-inflammatory (Celebrex, Relafen) to control inflammation, which do not impair people, and a smoking cessation prescription (Chantix), which also does not have impairment effects. Also, I hadn't taken any pills that morning and I was just on my way out for breakfast so I could take my medication after eating. They impounded my vehicle, which cost $1200 to get out due to a DUI charge. I was released on I-bond several hours after being put in the lock-up for several hours. Now I have several thousand dollars in attorney fees that I have to come up with to defend myself against these false charges. After the criminal trial is over, I would like to file a civil suit against the police to recover my lost time and money due to this case.
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