'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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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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Tim Walz’s Malignant Lies Disqualify Him From Being Anywhere Near Power

For the Minnesota governor and far-left vice presidential candidate, the truth is fluid in the laboratory of manufactured facts.

‘I Don’t Buy It’: CNN’s Smerconish Says Tim Walz’s DUI ‘Lie’ Is ‘Indefensible’

'I thought the DUI issue was a really significant and serious issue'

Walz previously arrested for drunk driving, going nearly 100 mph — spokesperson later apparently misrepresented case



Now that radical Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 60, has been selected to be border czar Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, his troubling past continues to make front-page news. Not only has Walz seemingly misrepresented his record with the Army National Guard, but he was also once arrested for driving under the influence and speeding along at nearly 100 mph — and his campaign spokesperson later apparently distorted the details of the incident to minimize his culpability.

On September 13, 1995, Walz was a 31-year-old high school teacher living in Alliance, Nebraska, a city of some 8,000 residents located about 150 miles south of Rapid City, South Dakota.

'So he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him. Lo and behold, it was a state patrolman that was behind him.'

Just before midnight that night, Walz was speeding along in a 55-mph zone, reaching a top rate of 96 mph.

A state trooper then pulled Walz over, and as he approached Walz's open window, the trooper detected "a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from Mr. Walz[‘s] breath and person," court documents said.

After failing a field sobriety test, Walz was subjected to a breathalyzer that indicated his blood-alcohol level was .128, well above the then-limit of .10, which has since been lowered to .08. Walz was then hauled off to Dawes County Jail, where he underwent a blood test, though the results of the test were later "suppressed," Alpha News reported in 2022.

Walz was initially charged with driving under the influence and speeding, but those charges were later amended after Walz agreed to plead guilty to one count of reckless driving. As part of his plea, Walz had to admit in court that he "drove a vehicle in a manner as to indicate an indifference or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property."

During Walz's hearing in March 1996, his attorney, Russell Harford, acknowledged that the guilty plea was appropriate. Not only had Walz been clocked at driving "90-something" mph, Harford told the court, but he "had been drinking."

"I think there’s a sufficient factual basis, judge, to support the plea," Harford reiterated.

Despite that admission, Harford also suggested during the proceeding that the trooper who pulled Walz over was at least partially to blame for Walz's lead foot.

"This is a little bit bizarre, but Mr. Walz thought somebody was chasing him," Harford insisted. "The officer didn’t turn on his red lights and he — somebody came up real fast behind him and he didn’t know what they were doing."

"So he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him. Lo and behold, it was a state patrolman that was behind him, so the faster he went, the faster the state patrol officer went," Harford added.

Ultimately, Walz was fined $200 plus court costs and had a suspended license for 90 days. He also resigned from his extracurricular activities, including coaching, at Alliance High School. He even offered to resign his position as teacher, though the principal there reportedly talked him out of it.

More than a decade later, in 2006, Walz first launched a campaign for Congress — just after an abrupt and ostensibly premature resignation from the Army National Guard following word that his unit was about to be deployed to Iraq. Though he may have dodged a tour in Iraq, his campaign could not dodge questions about his previous DUI arrest, and he was forced to account for his behavior.

Speaking on his behalf, campaign manager Kerry Greeley told an outlet that Walz actually was "not drunk" the night he was arrested, only hard of hearing, an unfortunate chronic condition supposedly stemming from his time with the National Guard, though Walz never saw combat.

"He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him," Greeley said at the time.

Greeley also alleged that Walz's "deafness" contributed to his "balance issues" the night of his arrest.

Because of the trooper's apparent insensitivity to Walz's hearing impairment, the judge overseeing Walz's plea upbraided the trooper and dismissed the DUI charges, Greeley claimed.

However, as Alpha News noted, the trooper's report made no mention of Walz's hearing problem, nor did the transcript of the plea proceeding. The transcript of the proceeding further showed that the judge never issued any chastisement of the trooper.

A 2018 report from MPR News confirmed that Walz underwent a stapedectomy to repair damaged bones in his ear sometime in 2005. Whether the surgery happened before or after his arrest is unclear.

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Walz’s Former Congressional Campaign Falsely Denied He Drove Drunk At The Time Of 1990’s DUI Arrest

'Couldn't understand what the officer was saying'

Some justice rendered for 2 little girls killed in DUI crash in North Las Vegas



Two little girls who died in an alcohol-related crash near Las Vegas about 18 months ago have now received a small measure of justice as the adults in the vehicle — their mother and aunt — are both sentenced to time behind bars.

On the night of December 11, 2022, Kayleah Manning was in a van driving around North Las Vegas, Nevada. Her older sister, Raenysa Clydette-Glenn Washington, was in the passenger seat, and Washington's two daughters — Taylor Wilmer, 3, and Rose Wilmer, 2 — were in the backseat restrained by adult seatbelts, as Blaze News previously reported.

'The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent.'

Suddenly, Manning veered from her lane, struck a curb, and hit a small tree and light pole before crashing into a large palm tree.

As a result of the crash, little Rose was decapitated and pronounced dead at the scene. Her sister, Taylor, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following day.

Both Manning and Washington were also transported to the hospital, where they remained in critical condition for some time. They were also placed under arrest while they underwent treatment for their injuries.

Witnesses claimed that at least one of the women seemed "nonchalant" about the deadly crash. "When she was getting out of the car, she just stepped on the baby and walked to the grass," one witness said.

Another witness claimed one of the women just "left the baby there." Whether the witnesses were referring to Manning or Washington is unclear.

Evidence that Manning was under the influence of alcohol was apparent from the start. Police described her eyes as bloodshot, her speech as slurred, and her breath as smelling strongly of "an alcoholic beverage." Tests taken about two hours after the crash reportedly revealed that her blood-alcohol level was over .19, more than twice the legal limit.

Manning allegedly admitted to consuming two shots of tequila that night. Washington reportedly told police that her sister may have split an entire bottle of tequila with a friend.

Washington also apparently admitted that she knew putting toddlers into adult seatbelts and not car seats was wrong but felt she "couldn’t argue" since it was not her car. Other reports indicate Washington had sold the car seats a week before the crash.

Though Manning, 25, was initially assessed a bevy of serious charges, in April, she pled guilty to two counts of DUI resulting in death. That same month, Washington, 27, pled guilty to two counts of child abuse or neglect.

On Thursday, the two women stood before Judge Erika Mendoza to learn their sentence. Both wept as they made statements asking for mercy.

"No matter if it was an accident, no matter if I would never hurt my children, no matter if it was a mistake, it was my fault," said Washington. "And today I'm ready to take full accountability of this, and for the remainder of my life, I will."

"I never imagined being the cause of so much hurt to my family, my nieces, or myself," said Manning. "But while I have been incarcerated, I've enrolled in the SOARS program to seek the help that I may need to understand myself and what led me to the position I am in today."

Judge Mendoza reportedly shed tears herself but still sentenced both women to serve time.

Manning was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison with credit for the 108 days already served. Once she is released, she must have a breath monitor in her car for at least a year.

Washington was sentenced to just shy of a year in jail with credit for the 11 days already served. She was given a prison sentence as well, but that sentence was immediately suspended.

So long as Washington remains out of trouble once she is released and on probation, she will never have to serve the suspended sentence. However, one technical violation will land her back in jail, the judge ruled.

Since the crash, Washington has given birth to a baby boy. She is also currently pregnant, due sometime in December.

Washington asked to delay starting her jail sentence until Monday so that she could say goodbye to her son, but Judge Mendoza refused.

"The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent," Mendoza said.

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Illinois HS senior killed in 'fast and furious' crash before graduation by alleged drunk driver racing 131 mph: 'Most genuine human'



A high school senior's promising future was tragically cut short three weeks before graduation after he was involved in a devastating car crash that split his car in half. Authorities say the Illinois teen was killed in a "fast and furious" accident caused by a drunk driver racing at 131 mph and had his lights off.

Around 11 p.m. on May 12, 21-year-old Taeyoung Kim was reportedly racing his 2021 Ford Mustang at speeds exceeding 130 mph in Glenview, Illinois – a suburb approximately 20 miles northwest of Chicago.

Police said Kim's own dashcam captured him speeding, aggressively passing other vehicles, and running a red light.

Witnesses claimed to have observe Kim driving with his headlights off, according to court documents. Kim allegedly turned his headlights back on as he was entering an intersection. However, it would be too late.

Kim's Mustang plowed into a Mercedes being driven by 17-year-old Marko Niketic.

The impact of the crash was so immense that it split Niketic's car in half – the front half was on the road and the back half flew into a nearby fence of a backyard.

Citing the bond court proffer, WMAQ-TV reported that Kim's vehicle was traveling at 131 mph just 2.5 seconds before the crash and 122 mph at the time of impact, according to the vehicle's black box.

The speed limit on Lake Avenue at that location of the car accident is 35 miles per hour.

Niketic was pronounced dead at the crime scene.

Niketic's 16-year-old girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat at the time of the car crash, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the brain, a fracture of the pelvis vertebrae, and hyper-density of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizure.

A passenger in Kim's vehicle also sustained significant injuries, including a fractured back and a severed artery.

Niketic's unnamed girlfriend and Kim's passenger were both rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

The girlfriend was reportedly released from the hospital on Friday.

Kim allegedly sustained a broken femur in the car crash.

A blood test revealed that Kim had a blood alcohol level of .088 – above the legal limit. The test also found that he had cannabis in his system, according to court docs.

Police found a bong, rolling papers, a one-hitter cannabis pipe with residue, and two plastic containers with cannabis residue inside Kim’s vehicle during their investigation.

Kim was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, reckless homicide, aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, DUI of alcohol, DUI of drugs, and several traffic violations, including speeding 35 mph over the limit.

Kim is being held without bond.

Kim made his first court appearance on Saturday, when the judge said the "fast and furious deadly accident" was a "brazen disregard for human life."

His next court date is scheduled for May 24.

Niketic's heartbreaking death happened exactly three weeks before he was set to graduate from Glenbrook South High School on June 2. The teenager's funeral was held two days before he was to attend his senior prom.

Last week, a vigil was held near the crash site with Niketic's heartbroken family in attendance.

Preston Shute, a friend of Niketic, told NBC Chicago, "He's one of those people, you meet him, and he’s glowing. The most genuine human ever. He had a lot of stuff ahead of him. I can’t really process it."

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Northbrook man charged with DUI in crash that killed teen in Glenview www.youtube.com

Illegal alien suspected of killing Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's adviser stole into US under Biden's watch



The Biden administration's refusal to properly secure the southern border and enforce federal immigration law has all but guaranteed grief for countless American families. On April 6, unlawfully imported atrocity was visited upon the family of a senior state adviser to Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D).

Kurt Englehart, a 38-year-old champion for victims of child abuse and an advocate for its prevention, perished in a horrific car accident Saturday morning in southeastern Reno. The Nevada Appeal indicated that the suspect responsible for the Ohio native's demise fled the scene but was later tracked down by police and identified as Elmer Rueda-Linares.

Rueda-Linares, 18, was initially charged with a felony hit-and-run; however, that charge has since been changed to a failure to stop at the scene of an accident. He is now being held at the Washoe County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer on Rueda-Linares following his arrest.

The DHS informed the Gazette-Journal that "Rueda entered the United States March 12, 2021, at or near the Rio Grande City, Texas, Port of Entry without inspection by an immigration official."

"United States Customs and Border Protection arrested him, and he was later released on his own recognizance June 22, 2021," added the DHS.

Cortez Masto said in a statement, "Paul and I and our entire team are heartbroken to learn of my longtime staffer Kurt Englehart's death."

"For the past eight years, Kurt proudly served in both my campaign and official offices. A beloved figure across the state, Kurt was always eager to help a constituent at a moment's notice," continued the statement. "He touched many lives, and I know almost everyone in Northern Nevada has a great story about Kurt helping them or making them laugh. Kurt was a dedicated public servant, a loyal friend, and a loving father."

"Sen. Cortez Masto looks forward to justice being served and has confidence in the local police and prosecutors," Cortez Masto's spokeswoman Lauren Wodarski told the Gazette-Journal.

While keen now on justice being served, the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicated that in recent years, Cortez Masto has embraced "radical, open border policies" and "worked to enable Joe Biden and the crisis along the southern border."

For instance, she "voted to end Title 42 without a plan"; incentivized legal immigration around the time of Rueda-Linares' unlawful entry into the country by voting to "send taxpayer-funded stimulus checks" to illegal aliens; voted to defund border security programs; and voted against the establishment of a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to prioritizing the arrest of illegal aliens charged with a crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

While in recent months Cortez Masto has changed course, calling on President Joe Biden to prioritize border security, the damage has evidently been done.

According to the GoFundMe campaign raising money for the victim's family, "Kurt's biggest joy in life was his son and his family."

Englehart is one of many Americans to lose their lives on account of illegal aliens in recent weeks and months.

An illegal alien from Venezuela was charged last month with killing a 12-year-old American boy. In December, Endrina Bracho was driving at 75 mph in a 40 mph zone and down the wrong side of a road in St. Louis County, Missouri. The St. Louis Dispatch reported that the illegal alien drove straight into a Jeep carrying an American family.

Travis J. Wolfe, a 12-year-old boy in the Jeep, was taken to St. Louis Children's Hospital, where he was placed on life support and ultimately succumbed to his injuries last month. According to the citizen's obituary, Travis had an "infectious laugh and smile."

Because of an illegal alien, a GoFundMe campaign was also started for Wolfe's family.

Rogelio Ortiz-Olivas, a five-time-deported illegal alien, ran over a 10-year-old Texas boy in February. Alex Wise of Midland was airlifted to Lubbock, where he died the next day, reported the Center Square.

One of Alex Wise's aunts indicated he was the "sweetest, coolest, funniest little boy you would ever meet."

Because of an illegal alien, a GoFundMe campaign was started for Wise's family.

Demetrio Moreno-Atlahua, an illegal alien facing a pair of felony charges, allegedly ran a stop sign on Feb. 24, then plowed his van into a 74-year-old American motorcyclist. Moreno-Atlahua and his undocumented passengers reportedly fled the scene of the crime on foot, reported WCJB-TV.

It's unclear whether the elderly victim's family also had to raise money to pay down the cost of his fatal encounter with an illegal alien.

An illegal alien from El Salvador was arrested earlier this month in connection to the murder and dismemberment of 25-year-old Fraylee Hernandez.

An illegal alien from Haiti allegedly butchered his two roommates in New York State on April 1. Blaze News previously reported Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus described the bloodletting as "one of the most brutal murders" that some in law enforcement had ever seen.

Blaze News has elsewhere detailed additional instances where sanctuary policies and a lax approach to illegal immigration have endangered American lives.

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