'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.

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Wild video shows alleged drunk driver with drink in hand leading cops on chase through busy parking lot, crashing into cars

A video of an alleged drunk driver leading cops on a chase through a busy parking lot in Texas has gone viral. Video shows the woman holding a drink as she evades police and crashes into other cars. In the end, the woman is smiling and making jokes as she's arrested.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, Audrey Marie Schneider recklessly drove around the parking lot of a shopping center in San Antonio. The nearly five-minute video shows the 37-year-old leading police on a chase while driving her white Toyota SUV.

'Oh no. I’m about to see something traumatic happen in front of me.'

According to authorities, the police chase began in Comal County, continued on a highway, and concluded in the shopping plaza in Bexar County. WOAI-TV reported that a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper attempted to pull Schneider over on Interstate 35 in Comal County. However, Schneider allegedly sped away from the trooper.

During the pursuit by multiple police cruisers, Schneider made several laps around a shopping center parking lot, which put pedestrians at risk.

The viral video captured by freelance photographer Alec Dyer shows Schneider driving erratically in the parking lot and crashing into other vehicles, including police cruisers.

Dyer told KSAT, "It felt really surreal. I couldn’t even believe it."

"Just witnessing that, I was, like, mentally preparing, ‘Oh no. I’m about to see something traumatic happen in front of me,‘“ Dyer added. “The whole time I’m thinking, ‘Oh no! At this rate, she’s gonna kill somebody. She’s gonna hurt somebody.‘”

Video shows Schneider holding up a drink during the police chase in the parking lot.

Eventually, police corner Schneider's SUV. However, Schneider is seen attempting to evade police by fleeing into a business in the plaza.

Soon police are seen escorting Schneider out of a store in handcuffs. Schneider's clothes appear to be drenched in liquid, and she has dark marks on both sides of her face.

No injuries were reported.

A smiling Schneider says, "I'm so sorry."

A bystander is on video asking police: "Hey, she threw a can of beer on me, can I press charges?"

Schneider is seen on video responding, "Yes, please do. I double-dog dare you."

Schneider is heard telling the onlookers: "I'm back, bitches."

While being pinned to the hood of a police cruiser, she also said, "Santa is coming."

The San Antonio Express-News reported that emergency medical services checked Schneider before she was taken to Bexar County Jail.

In her mugshot, Schneider flashes a smile.

Schneider was charged with driving while intoxicated with an open alcohol container, assaulting a peace officer, evading arrest in a vehicle, as well as two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.

According to KSAT, this wasn't Schneider’s first incident involving driving and alcohol.

In 2017, Schneider faced a charge of obstruction of a highway while intoxicated, the station reported.

Records show the charge was dismissed after she was granted deferred adjudication.

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'You need to die': Male strangles mom with American flag, beats up her boyfriend, leads police on drunken car chase, cops say

An Iowa man used an American flag to strangle his own mother, then beat up her boyfriend, fled the scene, and led police on a car chase, according to a criminal complaint.

According to Johnson County Jail records, Adam Sotzen of Cedar Rapids was booked at 3:35 a.m. Monday and charged with assault with intent to cause pain or injury, first-degree harassment, operating while intoxicated, and eluding while exceeding the speed limit by 25 mph or more. Sotzen is being held on a $30,000 bond.

'You need to die.'

According to the criminal complaint, Sotzen went to his victim’s home in North Liberty early Monday morning upset over a prior dispute. The 39-year-old allegedly got into a verbal altercation and then began destroying property.

The Daily Iowan reported that Sotzen shoved his mother to the ground. He allegedly stole an American flag from a nearby home, twisted it into a rope, and then strangled her.

According to KCRG-TV, Sotzen told her multiple times, “You need to die.”

The criminal complaint said his mother fell from her chair, but Sotzen continued to choke her as she lay face down. His mother allegedly told police she feared for her life because she believed Sotzen was capable of killing her.

The mother’s boyfriend reportedly intervened and pulled Sotzen off the woman. Sotzen then allegedly attacked his mother's boyfriend, punching him in the face and the ribcage.

Following the reported strangulation and assault, Sotzen fled the scene in his vehicle before police could respond.

A police officer identified Sotzen's vehicle by the license plate after reports of the assault circulated. The officer turned on the cruiser's emergency lights and attempted to pull over the suspect, but Sotzen allegedly ignored the cop and led police on a drunken police car chase.

Cops said Sotzen sped 55 mph in a 30 mph zone during the chase.

Sotzen finally pulled over, exited his vehicle, and dropped to his knees in the middle of the road, according to the complaint.

Police described Sotzen as being uncooperative and combative with law enforcement. Authorities also noted that Sotzen appeared unbalanced and smelled strongly of alcohol. The complaint said Sotzen continued to be physically aggressive while being transported to jail and reportedly struck the partition inside the police cruiser.

According to state prison records, Sotzen was incarcerated in 2013 for committing a “serious misdemeanor.”

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Chick-fil-A workers spot motorist in drive-thru who smells of alcohol — and their alarm heightens when they see his passenger

Quick-thinking employees at a Chick-fil-A in New Jersey may have saved a 6-year-old girl from danger, according to police.

A male motorist went to the drive-thru of the Turnersville fast-food joint with his 6-year-old daughter in his pickup truck.

One of the officers allegedly distracted the daughter so she wouldn't see her father being arrested.

Fast-acting Chick-fil-A workers allegedly noticed the motorist in the drive-thru smelled of alcohol — as well as spotting the young child in his vehicle.

“They smelled alcohol on his breath, and they were able to see all that alcohol inside the car,” Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik told WTXF-TV.

The outlet reported that there was an open beer can in the car — plus a 30-pack of beer, and a trash bag full of empty alcohol containers.

Bodycam video shows officers retrieving the alcohol from the vehicle.

The female Chick-fil-A employee who smelled the alcohol allegedly informed the manager, who in turn contacted police.

In order to prevent the driver from getting back on the roads and potentially causing an accident, Chick-fil-A employees reportedly informed the driver to pull over and wait for his order.

While waiting for his food, police officers made it to restaurant within five minutes and approached the driver before he departed.

Chief Gurcsik noted that the man was "extremely cooperative" with law enforcement.

Upon arrival at the Chick-fil-A, police conducted field sobriety tests — which the driver reportedly failed. The driver took a breathalyzer test that reportedly revealed a blood-alcohol level of .16 — twice the legal limit.

The driver was heard telling cops on the police bodycam footage, "I was just trying to go home and get to bed, you know?"

Police arrested the driver.

One of the officers allegedly distracted the daughter so she wouldn't see her father being arrested.

Officers occupied the 6-year-old girl with food until her grandfather could pick her up.

Gurcsik said, "It could have been a tragic ending for another family or for this family — who we essentially helped Saturday night by taking him off the road."

A manager for the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Turnersville declined to provide a comment to WTXF.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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'Our house is quiet as a tomb': Drunk driver who killed 'pure' 13-year-old girl in cocaine-fueled crash learns fate

A grieving Massachusetts family is attempting to put the pieces together after a drunk driver killed a "sunny" 13-year-old girl in a cocaine-fueled crash.

Gregory Goodsell, 36, attended his company's Christmas party in December 2019. Goodsell was so intoxicated that his co-workers said they tried to prevent him from driving, but he ignored them, the Boston Herald previously reported.

'After Claire died, I didn't want to live.'

Goodsell allegedly attended an after-party at a home before getting behind the wheel of his company truck. Police said Goodsell struck a tree while driving the white Ford F-250 truck, which broke his passenger-side headlight around 6:40 a.m. Dec. 29.

Goodsell reportedly ran a red light and smashed into a Subaru while he was drunk and high on cocaine in Pembroke.

"Through evidence and witness interviews, investigators determined that Goodsell was intoxicated with a BAC of 0.266, under the influence of cocaine, and passed through a red light at 67 miles per hour before broadsiding the Subaru," the office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz stated.

At the time of the crash, police found a bottle of whiskey, a beer can, two nip bottles, marijuana, and a pipe in Goodsell's vehicle.

“I’m so [expletive] up. … I know I shouldn’t have been driving. … I can’t believe I did this. … I drank way too much, I’m so sorry,” Goodsell reportedly told police officers at the scene of the fatal crash.

Investigators determined that the Subaru broadsided by Goodsell contained 51-year-old driver Elizabeth Zisserson; her daughter, 13-year-old Claire Zisserson; and Claire’s 13-year-old friend Kendall Zemotel.

Claire was killed in the crash.

Her mother and friend suffered what the DA's office described as “catastrophic injuries.”

Claire's friend Kendall recalled standing “speechless” while looking at herself in the mirror for the first time at the hospital and seeing a large scar on her right cheek, under her eye, with a feeding tube coming out of her nose.

“Emotionally, I think about something that I know I shouldn’t, but I really can’t help myself — what I could have done to prevent this from happening to us,” Kendall wrote in an impact statement that was read by a prosecutor in the courtroom. “I could have just gone to the bathroom before we left the house that day or taken a little longer to get ready. … I could have saved Claire’s life if I was a minute late to everything I did that morning.”

Kendall added, “Claire was my best friend, the sister I never had, and my twin. Claire was always there for me before I even realized I needed someone. It is so extremely hard to process that Claire is gone. She deserved so, so, so much more out of life.”

Claire's mother said that her emotional scars will never heal.

"After Claire died, I didn't want to live," Zisserson said in court as she wiped away tears. "The ache of Claire's loss is overwhelming to me."

"My world changed the day that Claire was killed. I don't recognize the person I am today, versus the one I used to be," the heartbroken mother explained. "I was a super-busy mom juggling sports, Scouts, carpools, school projects, away games, and everything else in daily life."

“Life was happy and busy and crazy, and we talked about the future with hope and excitement, but now I function in survival mode ruled by loss, fear, and grief," Zisserson added. "The car crash destroyed my life and caused a ripple effect of damage that can never be undone.”

"Our table of four is now three. Our house is quiet as a tomb," she expressed. "The colors of our world are dull."

'Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior.'

Claire's father, Ken Zisserson, added, "One day Claire was here, and the next, she was gone forever."

"When someone says, 'I can't even imagine,' I reply, 'You shouldn't have to. It's not natural,'" he noted.

Claire was described as “pure” and “sunny” by those who knew her best, according to the Patriot Ledger.

Late last month, a jury convicted Goodsell of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, leaving the scene of property damage, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

Before sentencing, the anguished mother asked the judge, "Please help me keep him from ever doing this again. He can watch the sunrise every day, but Claire won't ever see another sunrise. And we won't ever escape the devastation of losing Claire."

Judge Diane Freniere sentenced Goodsell to life in prison for the murder charge and eight years in prison for seriously injuring Kendall, which will run concurrently with a six-year sentence for injuring Elizabeth Zisserson. Goodsell also will serve 12 years for manslaughter concurrently with the murder sentence.

Goodsell will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.

“Judicial discretion does not commit to the court to assign a value to a victim’s life because every human life is incalculable,” the judge told Goodsell. “I have considered the life of an innocent, remarkable bright light, Claire Zisserson, a 13-year-old girl beloved by her family, and a compassionate and kind friend who was taken because of your criminal conduct.”

Goodsell said during sentencing, “I shamefully take responsibility for what happened.”

“Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior,” Goodsell read from a prepared statement. “If I could go back to that day and die, instead of Claire, I would in a heartbeat.”

“The constant nightmares, never being able to sleep because of what I did that morning, that is something that I will carry with me for the remainder of my life,” he continued. “Sorry is an understatement. I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

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Guatemalan national fights state trooper who stopped him for driving 114 mph; his blood-alcohol level is twice legal limit

A Guatemalan national was caught on dashcam video fighting an Arkansas state trooper who pulled him over for driving 114 miles per hour on an interstate highway. What's more, the motorist's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Arkansas state police on Wednesday released the dashcam video from the July 27 traffic stop in Rogers; you can view it here.

'I thank God that he gave Alex the strength to survive that encounter, and that he put Kylie by her side when she needed support the most. I’m so proud of them both.'

Angel Zapet-Alvarado, 26, of Guatemala was traveling 114 miles per hour in heavy traffic on Interstate 49 southbound when he passed Trooper Alexandria Duncan's marked patrol unit near the 83-mile marker around 7:43 p.m., police said.

Zapet-Alvarado initially showed no signs of stopping, even after Trooper Duncan activated her emergency lights and sirens, police said.

After stopping his vehicle on the right shoulder, Duncan told Zapet-Alvarado to exit the vehicle.