DeKalb woman accused of DUI, fleeing police following chase initiated in Wheaton: prosecutors

A DeKalb woman accused of drinking and driving before fleeing from police with her 12-year-old daughter in the car faces multiple charges including one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding, prosecutors said.

Brittany Getter, 33, of the 1000 block of Arcadia Drive, also was charged with 17 misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses including DUI, endangering the health or life of a child, reckless driving and transportation or possession of open alcohol by driver, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

Getter appeared May 7 in DuPage County First Appearance Court where the state’s motion to deny pretrial release was granted.

About 1:24 a.m. May 6, Wheaton police saw a Ford Escape allegedly traveling 76 mph in a 35-mph zone near Roosevelt Road and Washington Street. Police tried to stop the vehicle, but the Escape, allegedly driven by Getter, did not pull over and continued driving west on Roosevelt Road with police in pursuit, according to the release.

During the pursuit, Getter disobeyed multiple traffic control devices, making her way to westbound North Avenue where officers deployed spike strips, which Getter avoided by driving west in the eastbound lanes of North Avenue. The pursuit was terminated at this time out of safety concerns.

A short time later, officers with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office successfully deployed spike strips, which stopped Getter’s vehicle. Once stopped, Getter allegedly refused to exit the vehicle, requiring Kane County SWAT to remove her from the car, according to the release.

Officers noticed Getter’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot and detected an odor of alcohol coming from her breath. Getter’s 12-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car during the incident, according to the release.

When searching the vehicle, police found an open bottle of Don Julio tequila, which was less than half full, and a Crown Royal bag containing two baggies of cannabis, according to the release.

“It is alleged that Ms. Getter not only fled from police at an extremely high rate of speed after she had been drinking but did so with her young daughter in the back seat,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The behavior alleged in this case is irresponsible and reckless on multiple levels and put not only the motoring public at risk, but also Ms. Getter and her daughter.”

“Good decision-making, teamwork and interdepartmental cooperation led to the arrest of Ms. Getter,” Wheaton Chief of Police Princeton Youker said in the release. “My officers made the correct decision to discontinue their initial pursuit of Ms. Getter’s vehicle and disseminate the vehicle’s description after she allegedly began speeding into oncoming traffic. The old adage, ‘You can’t outrun the radio,’ could not be truer in this incident. Special thanks to our Kane County partners for assisting in taking a dangerous motorist off of our streets.”

Getter’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 3 for arraignment.