By WMBD TV
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria Heights Mayor Matthew Wigginton could face a 12-month driver’s license suspension after being arrested by the Peoria Police Department in connection with an alleged DUI.
Wigginton’s lawyer, Kevin Sullivan of Peoria, says they plan to challenge that charge.
According to a Peoria police report, the mayor was arrested early Friday morning after a Peoria police officer found him slumped over the wheel of his Lexus SUV at the Hotel Pere Marquette parking deck.
Sullivan says Wigginton didn’t feel so good after leaving the annual “Gridiron” dinner and was using the vehicle for shelter.
“The vehicle was not running; it had not been driven in over eight hours. It was parked there prior to 6 p.m.,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan says Wigginton refused chemical testing, which could mean he could face a 12-month license suspension.
He says they plan to challenge a potential 12-month suspension based on “the merits of the case.”
“We’re going to challenge that based on the fact that he was not driving his vehicle, not operating his vehicle, sitting lawfully in a privately owned and maintained parking deck,” Sullivan said.
Wigginton was elected mayor of the village of Peoria Heights last year. He has more than three years before he’s up for reelection.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
