DUI Charges Dropped; Former Playboy Centerfold Pays $100 Fine

By Jim Greene

Published on April 14, 2010

Chicago prosecutors dropped drunk-driving charges last month against a former Playboy magazine centerfold model who subsequently paid a $100 fine for running a red light. In December, a Cook County judge ruled that police had insufficient evidence for a charge of driving under the influence (DUI).

Crystal McCahill, Playboy's Miss May 2009 and a Chicago resident, was pulled over by police on Jan. 7, 2009, for running a red light in her 2005 Volkswagen Passat at the intersection of West Chicago Avenue and North Wood Street on the Near North Side.

Arresting Officers Report DUI Indications

Arresting officers reported that McCahill had bloodshot, glassy eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, and that she admitted to having three shots of liquor before leaving a nightclub where she said she worked. They said a blood test performed at a police station showed McCahill to have twice the legal limit of alcohol in her bloodstream.

Officers said McCahill voluntarily accompanied them to the police station, action they interpreted to mean that she understood correct procedure was being followed. McCahill's attorney, Michael J. Monaco, said his client went with police because she thought she was under arrest and had no choice. The lawyer said there was no cause for arrest and subsequent blood testing, because no field sobriety test was performed.

Judge Rules Evidence Inadmissible

Judge Thomas V. Lyons ruled that McCahill's blood test was inadmissible, which he said left insufficient cause for the DUI charge. After the DUI charges were dropped, McCahill was ordered to pay the fine for running the red light.

If you've been arrested for driving under the influence, contact an experienced DUI attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney will explain your rights as a defendant and ensure that they are observed in court. If you are convicted, your attorney will fight to see that your punishment is just, in proportion to the crime.

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