Judge cancels suspension of Lockport city attorney’s driver’s license

A judge effectively restored the driving privileges for the Lockport city attorney after finding no reasonable grounds or probable cause for her Feb. 16 arrest in a case where she’s charged with driving under the influence.

On Tuesday, Will County Judge Marzell Richardson said although a witness reported seeing Sonni Choi Williams, 54, of Lockport driving erratically on Interstate 55, she was cited for DUI at the privately owned parking lot of a Romeoville health club.

“The citation does not say I-55,” Richardson said.

The officer who arrested Williams on Feb. 16 needed to have reasonable grounds or probable cause to believe she was driving or in physical control of her vehicle on a public highway while under the influence of alcohol.

Williams’ attorney, Chuck Bretz, said the parking lot where his client was cited for DUI is privately maintained property. Special Prosecutor Kate Kurtz conceded that the ticket should be amended.

Richardson granted Bretz’s petition to rescind the statutory summary suspension of Williams’ driver’s license. Williams was issued a notice of the suspension because she either refused to or failed to complete chemical tests during the DUI investigation.

The suspension of Williams’ license was set to take effect next week and last for a year. As a result of Richardson’s ruling Tuesday, Williams has avoided that penalty.

However, Williams must still contend with the misdemeanor charge of DUI. Both parties are slated to appear in court on April 24 for the setting of her trial.

Unlike what happened in former Joliet City Manager James Capparelli’s DUI case, there were officers who testified about the arrest at Tuesday’s court hearing. No videos were presented and the civilian witness who reported Williams’ alleged erratic driving on I-55 was not called to the stand.

Bretz told Richardson that there’s been no information from that witness on what time he saw Williams driving on I-55 or anything else about the incident.

“All we have is some unsupported hearsay,” Bretz said.

The witness saw Williams’ vehicle driving “all over the roadway” on I-55 and flagged down an officer to report his concerns at the parking lot of a Romeoville health club, according to an officer’s testimony. The witness saw Williams was sleeping inside the vehicle at the parking lot, he said.

The first officer on scene testified that when he approached Williams’ vehicle, it began moving and he had to turn on his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. The officer said when he approached her vehicle, she rolled down her window and he smelled what he believed was the odor of an alcoholic beverage.

The officer also reported Williams had bloodshot and glassy eyes, as well as slurred speech.

A second officer called to the scene testified that Williams told him she was traveling from a work-related event in Chicago to her Lockport residence. The first officer said Williams was in Romeoville because she “took a detour to get some rest.”

The officer said Williams was able to provide him her driver’s license and insurance information, as well as respond to his questions appropriately.