Samantha Steele, a Democratic employee of the Illinois Cook County Board of Review, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence and crashing into another vehicle, according to Chicago police records.
After arriving at the scene, police reportedly found the 45-year-old chief face down on the sidewalk near two cars with “severe” damage, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. There is. reported. Police said she confessed to driving into the other party’s car.
Officers found an open bottle of red wine on the passenger side of Steele’s car, records said. The newspaper wrote that the officer “observed that her eyes were bloodshot and glassy.” “I also could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from her breath as she spoke.”
Steele allegedly refused to perform field sobriety tests or answer questions regarding his sobriety. “I want you to get a lawyer, but I haven’t talked to you,” she said, according to police.
A first-term Cook County elected official was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on the North Side on Sunday, according to Chicago police records.https://t.co/TMt7BXvPxW
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) November 12, 2024
Records show that while in custody, she repeatedly told officers, “‘Is your penis really that small?'” the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Steele was reportedly admitted to the hospital complaining of pain from a head injury. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 27, police said. (Related: Naples mayor caught on camera struggling with breathalyzer test after drunk driving arrest)
Steele was elected to the review board in 2022, which has the power to review property tax appeals. According to the review committee, the member has more than 15 years of experience in real estate valuation and is a certified Level III appraiser/appraiser. Website. She “previously served as a county assessor in Indiana, where she was the first county-wide elected Democrat in more than 30 years,” the website said.
Steele defended his hiring of the former Indiana politician, who pleaded guilty in federal court in early 2024, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Mr. Steele’s former aide, Frank Calabrese, was fired in a whistleblower case at the federal level for cooperating with the county’s independent inspector general’s investigation into Mr. Steele and his chief of staff, and was hired to provide legal advice on a property tax appeal. He claimed that he was punished for asking for it. by Chicago Bears, WBEZ Chicago reported In July. In a statement to the newspaper, Mr. Steele declined to comment on Mr. Calabrese’s claims beyond saying that his lawsuit contained “falsehoods.”
