SOUTHERN ILLINOIS POLITICIANS IN CAR WHEN DRIVER STOPPED FOR DUI
FRANKLIN CO.—The criminal charges are hitting close to home for at least two southern Illinois politicians who should know better by now than to constantly pal around.
It just looks bad.
Early yesterday morning (12:28 a.m.Friday, August 24), Mitchell J. Schaben 24, of Dunlap, Iowa, was stopped while allegedly speeding on Illinois 37. The stop occurred at Marcum Branch Road; Schaben was driving a 2009 red Cadillac and was pulled over by an ISP trooper.
Sen. Gary Forby. We’re not fond of him, because he looks like Chuck Roberts.
He was ticketed for not only speeding, but DUI. Reports don’t indicate what he blew, but he did (always a bad idea; NEVER blow; take the summary suspension for 6 months and there’s no evidence in the end) and the BAC apparently read over the legal limit. He was transported to the Franklin County Detention Center and processed. He posted $300 bond and was released.
Brandon Phelps. A likable enough guy…but he’s a PHELPS.
He had with him three passengers. Two of them were identified as Gary Forby and Brandon Phelps…likable enough, but reviled, local legislators downstate.
A fourth person in the vehicle was not identified….a questionable enough circumstance in and of itself without the fact that two of our pain-in-the-ass politicians were present.
The official story is that they were all having dinner at the resort at Rend Lake, all pre-state-fair oriented, and yes, the driver/field organizer for Phelps’ campaign may have been drinking, but “didn’t feel he was impaired” and opted to drive.
Apparently, he was impaired enough as far as the state boys thought.
This has caused all kinds of embarrassment for the politicos, as they most likely can usually get someone out of this kinda thing…but apparently this one was a little more than what even their sway had pull against.
Schaben is set for a hearing on September 25. Had there not been quite a bit of news coverage, it’d probably be a sure bet that at that hearing, the whole thing just might quietly “go away.” But it is Franklin County, after all…other DUIs have just gone away or been minimized to the point that folks ask, why is there even a law?
And of course, we may never find out who that mysterious fourth passenger was….unless someone decides to roll, especially if that person wasn’t supposed to be with one of the others…just sayin. It is Illinois, after all, where facts don’t lie, but legislators do.
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Posted by Jack Howser
on Aug 25 2012. Filed under Franklin.
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Danielle Conaway is the 25 year old fourth passenger. Her mom works for Franklin County Treasurer John Gulley. Not sure what position (literally) she was in while in the car. All four were too intoxicated to drive and someone had to go pick them up. They were in Forby’s caddy with the 59 license plate. Disclosure should file a FOIA request for the video/audio of the traffic stop, that could prove interesting to see who had what to say to the trooper who made this stop. Almost every stop is recorded and Franklin County claims they will not handle a DUI without video, but then they usually won’t prosecute one with video either.
Thanks…we shall do that!
It will be interesting to see how this “shags” out. I’d be very careful though, ref advice on telling people never to take the breath test. Not necessarily sound advice. The better thing to say is what the official line always was: If you drink, don’t drive. I’m glad the trooper did his job. But, I do wonder why the car was not towed…esp if all were drunk. ??????
I think I may have qualified that a little better, but we were on the road: MOST DUI ATTORNEYS ADVISE NEVER TO BLOW. Under the current circumstances of the law, if you have had ANYTHING to drink, you don’t blow, you take the six-month summary suspension. If you have had NOTHING to drink, you can, but how often does that occur? We’ve seen idiotic cases wherein a person was cited for DUI with a BAC of under .08. The prosecutor took the case and let it go all the way through the court system, with the suspect having had a summary suspension for LONGER than six months. When it FINALLY went to court and the defense attorney successfully argue that it was below .08, dude got his license back…after about a year. A six-month summary suspension for not blowing would have at least gotten him less time without a license. So…QUALIFIER ON THAT: MOST DUI ATTORNEYS SAY….fill in the blank yaddayaddayadda with the rest.