Ditka’s Son May Have Beaten DUI Charge

February 10, 2012 8:54 AM

Michael P. Ditka

From The Boers and Bernstein Show

Filed under

Bears, Heard on WBBM 780, Sports, Syndicated Local, Syndicated Sports

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WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) — It’s not official yet, but one of the sons of former Bears Coach Mike Ditka appears to have beaten a drunk driving charge.

Iron Mike’s 49-year-old son, Michael P. Ditka, was sitting in a black Hummer in the parking lot of his Deerfield housing complex last Apr. 20 when police asked him to step from the vehicle. The officer said he smelled alcohol, and a preliminary breath test found a concentration of .189 — more than twice the limit of .08.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Bob Roberts reports

Lake County Circuit Court Judge Brian Hughes ruled that police had no reason to suspect Ditka when walking up to the sport-utility vehicle, said Ditka never consented to a search and found that Ditka’s arrest was not constitutionally reasonable. As a result, any evidence gathered after the arrest cannot be used at trial.

Ditka is still set to go to trial Feb. 27, but prosecutors must decide whether to go forward. They will let Judge Hughes know at a status hearing Feb. 24.

Defense attorney Robert Ritacca told WBBM Newsradio that his client “continues to be cautious” in his optimism.

Ditka’s brother, Mark, also a Deerfield resident, has a Feb. 22 court date on a separate DUI charge, related to a September traffic stop.

zatso

If the facts are the facts in this story, I agree with the Judge.

But, you still wonder if the FIX is in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The real James Hamilton

And the hand of Government that done this will have no charges brought against him for making this mans life miserable.

m

If this does not get kicked next thing you will have is a DUI while washing your car in the drive drinking a beer with the radio on.
Dylan

Typical privileged children syndrome. Judges are idiots.

Markie Maypo

No, Dylan, YOU are indeed the idiot. THE GUY WASN’T EVEN DRIVING!!! And don’t come back at me with “drinking should be outlawed, it kills more people that marijuana and cigarettes combined, bla bla bla”. Take your holier that thou attitude back to your basement and leave the rest of us (sips scotch) alone. (chugs scotch)

Dylan

Sorry, but if you are in the car with the keys in the ignition, you are driving. That’s the law. I’m don’t have a “holier than thou attitude,” but I know I’m smarter than you high school diploma boy.
Dylan

My mistake – he was WALKING drunk to his car, not in it. (I was told that he was in the car.) – But, you can still get a DUI.
Roberta Waker

@Markie. It’s true that you can be arrested for a DUI if your car is parked WITH key in the ignotion and/or the engine running. Someone may have called on him and that’s why the police came to check? Might be more to this story than meets the eye since his alcohol level was well above the legal limit. Maybe the Judge will get season tickets for the Bears games as a reward.

tom sharp

Glad he didn’t have an escaped ax murderer in the back seat ! American justice strikes
PJ

From what I read the only mistake the police made was not conducting field sobriety. They ‘asked’ him to step from the vehicle but if they based the arrest off a PBT alone that was their fatal flaw. You have to show impairment in any DUI, especially in a private property, phyical control case.
Markie Maypo

“Judge Brian Hughes…said Ditka never consented to a search…”….READ please PJ.
Afro

I hope he pays his taxes he could end up like this.

While Gordon Kahl was pinned to the floor by the 6 to 8 Delta Force panthers, still under attack from the gun butts, the FBI agent with the fireman’s axe turned to Gordon Kahl himself and chopped off his hand. Then he went around and chopped off Gordon Kahl’s other hand, and then both of his feet were severed. While screaming with pain and with blood gushing out profusely over the floor where his hands and feet used to be, Gordon Kahl was shot in the head at close range, killing him.
Jim

The only reason a petty DUI is even news is because his last name is Ditka. Also the same reason CBS has kept this story at the top of the page for so long. Pathetic reporting!.