Lake County Judge David Hall is back in the news again, just a couple months after a Kane County judge barred key evidence of his DUI arrest, as covered by The Chicago DUI Blog. Now David Hall has filed a federal lawsuit for what he calls "excessive force" related to the use of pepper spray to subdue him, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
His Illinois DUI lawyers, who were able to block the use of their client's BAC reading taken by a physician after the arrest, were not cited in the recent article.
David Hall was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on April 26, 2008. He allegedly began to roll up his window after police approached his car, after which one of the officers used pepper spray. The embattled judge, who remains on the bench, claims that he "posed no threat to anyone" during the stop, according to his complaint.
His suit claims that the pepper spray left him with injuries requiring medical attention. Two officers are named in the suit, including one who died of a heart attack six weeks after the arrest.
Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief William Price, meanwhile, contends that it was just a routine traffic stop and that the officers followed proper procedure, including the pepper spray. He also maintains that David Hall suffered just "minor" eye irritation after officers used the spray when he refused to step out of the car:
"There was no evidence of any injury."
That will be left up to a US District Court in Chicago to decide. As far as his DUI trial is concerned, prosecutors are appealing the ruling that effectively tossed out evidence of his alleged blood-alcohol content.
Related Resources:
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Evidence (LawBrain)
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Lake County Judge Defends DUI Charges (FindLaw's Chicago DUI Blog)
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Defense Says Cops Erased Video Of Judge's DUI Arrest (FindLaw's Chicago DUI Blog)
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Contact a Chicago DUI Lawyer (FindLaw)
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