CRIME NEWS DAILY

Mark Ditka's Breath Test Tossed by Judge

A Lake County judge threw out the results of a portable breath test administered during the September DUI arrest of Mark Ditka, 49. Judge Helen Rozenberg said she was concerned that Ditka's use of citrus-flavored tobacco immediately before the test could have tainted the result, which pegged his blood-alcohol content at 0.16, twice the legal limit. The ruling won't torpedo the case against Ditka, who remains charged with drunken driving. The Deerfield officer who administered the test still had probable cause to arrest Ditka, prosecutors said, because the suspect allegedly smelled like alcohol, slurred his words and failed field sobriety tests. Read more...