'I'm an elected official': Body cam of Democrat's DUI arrest reveals car crash, open wine bottle, lewd 'penis' remark



A Chicago-area Democratic official was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, and police said she was "not compliant" during the arrest, which was captured on body cam video.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 45-year-old Samantha Steele was arrested at 8:49 p.m. Nov. 10 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

'Ma’am, if you don’t exit the vehicle ... I’m going to help you to exit, and you don’t want that.'

Police discovered Steele — the Democratic commissioner for the Second District of the Cook County Board of Review — lying on the sidewalk, according to the arrest report.

Police said they found significant front-end damage to a Honda Accord and a Dodge Charger near Steele's vehicle.

Steele reportedly told officers she had been driving south on Ashland Avenue when the car crash occurred.

The officer said Steele was "involved in an accident."

Police said they noticed a half-empty bottle of red wine near the front passenger seat of Steele's vehicle.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the police body cam video showed the officers joke that the cabernet sauvignon was “good stuff” and that breath mints they also found "didn’t help" cover up the "strong odor of [an] alcoholic beverage" on her breath.

Officers also allegedly noted that her eyes appeared "bloodshot and glassy."

When officers asked how much she had drunk, Steele reportedly refused to answer and deflected by saying, "I want my lawyer, and I am not talking to you."

One of the officers is heard saying, "She smells like alcohol; she's been drinking."

She is seen on police body cam video refusing to exit her car; initially, she wouldn't provide her driver's license to officers.

An officer is heard on body cam video telling Steele's alleged friend, "So she's not exiting. We're going to have to make her exit. She is not compliant right now, as you can see."

An officer told her, “Ma’am, if you don’t exit the vehicle ... I’m going to help you to exit, and you don’t want that.”

Steele shot back at the cop, "You don’t want that! I’m an elected official.”

The officer asked, “Elected official of what?”

Steele said she was an elected official in Cook County but would not provide the officer with her job title.

When the officer asked for her name, Steele held out her hand for a handshake and said, “I’m Sam.”

The cop responded, “Sam who?”

Steele refused to provide her full name to the officer.

Steele refused to get out of the car until the arrival of her alleged attorney — Democratic Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton of Glenview.

Britton allegedly advised Steele, “Don’t say anything. Don’t say anything.”

Police said Steele was "swaying front to back" during questioning.

Steele reportedly refused to do a field sobriety test at first.

Body cam video shows police handcuffing Steele.

Steele allegedly agreed to a field sobriety test after being handcuffed, but then she claimed to have hit her head in the crash and needed medical treatment. The police report stated that she was handcuffed again, placed in an ambulance, and taken to a local hospital. She was later discharged from the hospital.

The arrest report noted that Steele made lewd remarks to the arresting officer.

Steele allegedly asked a cop, "Is your penis really that small?"

Police impounded her vehicle.

Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison called for Steele to resign from the Cook County Board of Review for her "aggressive behavior" during her arrest.

"This incident raises serious concerns about her conduct and judgment as an elected official," Morrison said in a statement. "If an elected official does not respect our dedicated police officers, then how can we expect the citizens to respect the police?"

Steele was first elected to the Cook County Board of Review in 2022.

Steele is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 27.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Tough-On-Crime Democrat’s Lead Shrinks After Chicago Officials ‘Mistakenly’ Forgot 9,000 Mail Ballots

The Chicago Board of Elections 'mistakenly left out' more than 9,000 mail-in ballots in their count of ballots received by Election Day.

‘The Arrogance … Should Not Surprise Me’: Sol Wisenberg Rips ‘Appalling’ Trump Ballot Ruling By Illinois Judge

'You know what they say about Cook County'

Remember the American Rescue Plan? Cook County Illinois will use federal funds that it received to pay $500 per month to 3,250 residents for two years



Residents of Cook County Illinois can now apply for the opportunity to receive $500 monthly payments for a two-year period.

In order to be eligible for the guaranteed income program, an individual must be an adult who resides in the county and who has "a household income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level," which amounts to $33,975 for a household with just one person, or $69,375 for a household with four people. Also, there cannot be anyone in the household who is benefitting from another guaranteed income program.

"Participants are free to spend the money however they see fit to meet their needs, within the bounds of the law," according a webpage about the program. "Yes, the pilot is open to all Cook County households regardless of immigration status. You will not be asked to verify your citizenship or immigration status in the application."

It is expected that the money will start being paid out during winter 2022.

"Our Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot is just the start and in the coming years, we plan to make this program permanent," the webpage states.

The program is being funded with money that the county received from the federal government via the American Rescue Plan Act.

"Historically, both public and private institutions have been unwilling to directly invest in low-income people without significant restrictions attached. This red tape is in place not because any evidence shows that it is necessary, but rather because our society does not trust that people living in poverty have the character or ability to make good decisions for themselves," Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle said, according to a press release from May. "Cook County is reframing the way we think about government assistance and is proud to be leading the way in the American guaranteed income movement."

Mayor Lightfoot, Prosecutor Go At It Over Not Prosecuting Gang Members In Deadly Shooting

'She's got to explain to the public'

Chicago Rapper ‘Kill To Survive’ Shot 64 Times Leaving Jail On Bond

Amid a Chicago crime surge, rapper KTS Dre was murdered in the city after being released from jail with an ankle bracelet.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's 'Census Cowboy' rides horse during protest till its feet bleed and it collapses. Now he's facing a felony charge, and the horse may need to be euthanized.



Authorities arrested 33-year-old activist Adam Hollingsworth — also known as the "Dreadhead Cowboy" or "Census Cowboy" — after a Monday protest in which he rode a horse on a Chicago highway until the bleeding horse collapsed.

The horse, which is in critical condition due to its injuries, may now need to be euthanized.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) tapped Hollingsworth to work with her earlier this year to boost census participation in the city.

What are the details?

According to a report from WTTW-TV, Hollingsworth rode the horse for more than seven miles on the Dan Ryan Expressway during Monday's impromptu protest.

The horse, which was reportedly not outfitted with proper shoes for concrete, collapsed after running for about an hour.

Cook County prosecutors said the horse's treatment was the "equivalent of forcing an 80-year-old woman run a marathon," WTTW reported.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Deboni said that the horse was nearly run to death and suffered "extensive damage" to its health.

Deboni said that the horse's eyes "were dilated to the point they looked like cartoon eyes."

The man appointed by Mayor Lightfoot to be Chicago’s “Census Cowboy” rode his horse until it bled to draw attention… https://t.co/VftSHQtPAO
— Ian Miles Cheong (@Ian Miles Cheong)1601003968.0

All for #KidsLivesMatter

Hollingsworth said that he rode the horse on the Dan Ryan Expressway during rush hour to support the #KidsLivesMatter movement, according to the outlet, which describes the initiative as one "that aims to raise awareness and motivate residents to fill out the census to help communities receive better funding."

According to Block Club Chicago, the movement is in response to children killed by gun violence.

In August, Hollingsworth told the Block Club, "When you get kids occupied and they've got things to do with their time and their life … all this senseless killing that's going on, it'll slow down a whole lot. It's important to support dance groups [or] anything that's got something to do with kids. If it's something positive, support it."

Witnesses of the Dan Ryan Expressway incident told the outlet that they saw Hollingsworth kicking and whipping the horse to keep it running even after it slowed its pace due to exhaustion and injury. Shortly after, the horse collapsed on the ground.

Emergency veterinarians responded to the scene and took the horse in for treatment of severe dehydration, overheating, and lacerations to its front legs that caused heavy bleeding. Authorities took Hollingsworth into custody.

WFLD-TV reported that the horse also had sores beneath its saddle, which was not properly padded.

A felony charge and a rebuke from the mayor

In a statement, Mayor Lightfoot's office condemned Hollingsworth's "stunt."

"There is a right way and a wrong way to call attention to issues of great importance and this stunt was decidedly the very wrong way," the mayor's office said in its statement.

Hollingsworth was charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, as well as misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct, trespassing, and other traffic-related offenses.

At the time of this reporting, the horse remains in critical condition, and will never be able to be ridden again.

The horse may also have to be euthanized due to its injuries and "due to the suffering the animal will likely endure for the rest of its life."

Hollingsworth was held on $25,000 bond during a Wednesday court appearance, and was required to pay 10%. He is due back in court on Sept. 30.

'Lori, come help me, I can't do it alone'

On Thursday, a tearful Hollingsworth told the Chicago Sun-Times that he did not abuse the horse.

"My focus is on the 'Kids Lives Matter' because if you look up the history of when it comes down to kids getting killed, 2020 is the highest rate ... and it ain't right," he told reporters. "Everybody is trying to steer away from that part, and that is very important — that is an important topic we need to stick on."

Hollingsworth insisted that how he treated the horse was "no different than how horses are treated in the circus or at a racetrack," the outlet reported.

"The people that don't know anything about horses looking from the outside in, you would think that what I did was cruelty to animals," he explained. "But if you go to a racetrack, it's 100 times worse, if you go to a circus, worse. ... It's way worse than what I do to my horses. I probably could've did a little bit less, but I had to make a statement."

He also insisted that the description of the horse's injuries were exaggerated, and that he would like to appoint an independent veterinarian to examine the horse.

"I think that is just a way to make the situation seem worse than it is because I am a black brother and I am doing very good for the community and standing up for the Kids Lives Matter movement and not focused on anything else," Hollingsworth reasoned.

He also revealed that he has been the subject of abuse since his arrest.

"Every day I step outside I am taking a chance with my life," he said. "I basically look at [the hate mail] and just close them. I can't change how a person feels."

He also called upon Lightfoot to defend him.

"When [Mayor Lightfoot] called upon me [to assist with the 2020 census], I was there for her," he added. "Monday was my stress signal: Lori, come help me, I can't do it alone."

Democrats Urge Defeat Of Chicago Judge Who Ordered Investigation Of Jussie Smollett Hoax

Toomin believes he's facing "retaliation" for appointing a special prosecutor to investigate why all 16 felony charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped.

Sheriff's office releases bodycam video of deputy shooting allegedly armed man running from traffic stop in Chicago



A police officer shot an allegedly armed man who fled a traffic stop Wednesday in Chicago. On Thursday, the Cook County Sheriff's Office released bodycam footage of the incident after the man's family disputed that he had a gun.

Cook County Sheriff's deputies pulled over a driver for speeding in Chicago's LeClaire Courts neighborhood at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday. The vehicle is said to be missing a front license plate and had illegally tinted windows, as reported in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The driver stopped, opened his door, but refused to exit the vehicle. He then allegedly drove off and turned down an alley. He abandoned his car and fled on foot. The Cook County Sheriff's Office alleges that the man had something in his hand, and dropped a black cellphone while fleeing police.

The man, identified as Durel Foster, reportedly ignored deputies' commands to stop. Bodycam footage appears to show Foster, 27, brandishing a handgun as defies orders and runs past cops.

After Foster runs past one of the police officers with what looks like a firearm, the cop fires four shots at the man. Foster was hit by two shots, one struck him in the shoulder and the other in the buttocks. Foster falls to the ground, sits back up, then flails back down.

Deputies claim that Foster resisted arrest after being shot, and ran to a nearby porch. Foster was eventually taken into custody after a police officer used a Taser on him.

He was handcuffed, arrested, and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is said to be in good condition. The Cook County Sheriff's Office claims a handgun and bags of suspected cocaine were found near Foster.

Foster's father, Maurice Foster, said, "Police stopped him because of the way he looked."

"He's a young Black man, he had nice jewelry on, nice clothes," Maurice Foster said. "They didn't even tell me when they put him in the ambulance, he was already shot twice and tased, he had the handcuffs on ... and they put him in the ambulance for 10 minutes."

The father denied that his son was armed and disputes that he had a gun during the incident.

"I can't see real good from the footage," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I can't see what's in his hand. I see him toss a bag. It goes by real fast, and it's blurry also."

The father said he hasn't been able to speak with his son since the arrest. He added that his son is "an excellent basketball player, he's smart, he's intelligent, he's respectful, and he's good to his family."

Cook County Sheriff's Office said the suspect had three prior felony convictions, including aggravated battery on a police officer in 2018, according to the New York Post. He was sentenced to four years in prison and had been on parole in Illinois at the time of Wednesday's arrest.

Chicago police are conducting an independent investigation into the shooting.

Cook County Sheriff's Police Release Body Cam Video After Officer Shoots Man www.youtube.com

Police deliver two gunshot wounds to male in Chicago—suspect in stable condition

A male was reportedly shot twice by police in Cook County, Chicago, on Wednesday next to LeClaire Courts on the Southwest Side.