Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A Matteson man was charged with a DUI in early August after an officer responded to a report of a late-night vehicular accident that happened in front of Taco Bell.
Patrick J. Sacramento, 41, 275 Blackthorn Rd., Matteson, was arrested on August 1 and charged with DUI, no valid proof of insurance, and failure to yield-private road or drive. Mr. Sacramento was assigned a mandatory court date of September 24, 2020, at the Markham Courthouse.
An officer was dispatched to a 911 hang-up call at 11:36 PM in the area of Blackhawk Drive and Sauk Trail. While en route, SouthCom advised the responding officer that they received another call from the same number advising that an accident occurred in front of Taco Bell, 409 Sauk Trail.
When the responding officer arrived, he made contact with the driver of a blue Ford Focus, later learned to be Patrick J. Sacramento, according to the report. The officer asked Mr. Sacramento about the accident. Mr. Sacramento told the officer that he was heading home but first grabbed some food from Taco Bell.
The officer asked Mr. Sacramento how the crash occurred and Mr. Sacramento allegedly stated, “It just happened,” according to the report. After further questioning, Mr. Sacramento allegedly admitted that he pulled out of the Taco Bell lot and struck the other vehicle which was driving eastbound on Sauk Trail, according to police.
Mr. Sacramento appeared “very confused, and also had a slight mumble and slurred his words when responding to questions,” according to the report. The report said that Mr. Sacramento also had “glossy bloodshot eyes,” according to the report.
The officer removed his PPE mask slightly and detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Mr. Sacramento’s breath, according to the report. Mr. Sacramento ignited a cigarette numerous times, according to the officer, “possibly in an attempt to conceal the odor of alcohol,” according to the report.
The officer instructed Mr. Sacramento to provide his driver’s license and proof of insurance. Mr. Sacramento allegedly stated that he just had his wallet but misplaced it, according to the police. Mr. Sacramento asked the officer if he could step out of his vehicle to look for his wallet and the officer gave permission, according to the police.
After a quick glance to the vehicle, the officer saw Mr. Sacramento’s wallet on the driver’s side floorboard and informed him where it was, but Mr. Sacramento continued to check his pants pockets, according to police.
Mr. Sacramento finally retrieved his wallet and handed over his driver’s license to the officer but stated that his insurance was expired, according to the police.
The officer asked Mr. Sacramento if he had been drinking and he quickly replied, “Uh, no,” according to police. Mr. Sacramento then sat back inside his vehicle. Mr. Sacramento then said, “Uh, a little bit, not like the way you think I am,” according to the report. Mr. Sacramento allegedly went on to admit that he had consumed two beers approximately four hours prior, according to the report.
The tow truck arrived on the scene to tow both vehicles as they were both disabled from the damage, according to police. When the tow truck arrived, Mr. Sacramento exited his vehicle and the officer observed a large wet spot on Mr. Sacramento’s jeans in his crotch area, possibly from urinating on himself, according to police. Mr. Sacramento never told the officer that he needed to use the bathroom, according to the report.
The officer told Mr. Sacramento that he would perform field sobriety tests at the scene to which Mr. Sacramento allegedly stated, “You won’t do it,” and began walking towards the passenger side rear door of the officer’s squad car, voluntarily placing both of his hands behind his back, according to police. The officer asked Mr. Sacramento if he was refusing to perform the standard field sobriety tests to which he allegedly stated, “Yes,” according to the report.
The officer handcuffed Mr. Sacramento and placed him in the squad vehicle.
Upon arrival at the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Sacramento allegedly stated again that he would not perform standard field sobriety tests, according to the report. The officer informed Mr. Sacramento that he was under arrest on suspicion of DUI. Mr. Sacramento also refused a breath test at 12:58 AM, according to the police.
During an inventory of Mr. Sacramento’s property, the arresting officer found two receipts from a pub in Dyer, Indiana, with one transaction on August 1, 2020, at 9:28 PM that showed a purchase of two shots of Rumple Minze, according to police. The second transaction on the same date at 10:47 PM showed a purchase of two Budweiser’s, unknown size, and two additional shots of Rumple Minze, according to police.
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All of the incidents in this report were captured on body-worn and/or dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. These devices are now typically abbreviated BWC in the reports.
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