Crestwood, Illinois police officer charged with driving drunk, and not for first time
A Crestwood, Illinois police officer was facing a drunken driving charge Tuesday — for the second time in three years.
Crestwood police Officer Christopher Spencer, 49, was arrested by Midlothian police on Monday. Spencer is an 18-year veteran of the Crestwood Police Department.
Police said Spencer was involved in not one, but two incidents in Midlothian on Monday afternoon — minutes apart.
Spencer first got into a hit-and-run crash at 2:22 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of the White Castle at 14700 S. Cicero Ave., police said.
At 3:11 p.m., Spencer crashed his car into a homeowner's garage a mile away in the 15100 block of South Kostner Avenue, police said.
In that incident, the homeowner told police the driver was drinking from a liquor bottle as he sat in the car.
When officers got to that second scene, they noticed a strong smell of alcohol on Spencer's breath and observed that his speech was slurred, according to police. Police said Spencer appeared impaired and refused a breathalyzer.
This was not the first time Officer Spencer has been in trouble for suspected or confirmed DUI. On Jan. 12, 2022, Spencer's blood alcohol content was .274 — three times the legal limit — when he drove that same red Ford F-350 over someone's lawn.
An empty bottle of Fireball whiskey was seen in the cab.
Spencer spent a year under court supervision for that arrest.
Crestwood financial records show Spencer is one of the village's highest paid public employees.
When we asked about his employment status, Crestwood Mayor Ken Klein told us he was unable to comment, as they are "still waiting for the investigation to be completed."
