DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A DUI suspect bit a correctional officer and reached for a deputy’s gun after authorities stopped him, sworn statements said.
Macon County authorities said Alex J. Gill, 19, was stopped before 2 a.m. Saturday in the area of North 27th Street and U.S. Route 36. They said he disobeyed a stop sign while turning from East Prairie Avenue to U.S. 36.
Gill had the smell of an alcoholic beverage and burnt cannabis on his breath, deputies said, and a search revealed he possessed a metal cannabis grinder and a bag with a “green, leafy substance”. According to statements, Gill admitted to drinking “three pints”, and his blood alcohol was nearly three times the legal limit (.211).
Deputies took Gill to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for testing, where they said he put water into the specimen bottle instead of urine and became violent when asked to sign the blood test consent form. Deputies said he reached for a deputy’s gun when they tried to handcuff him and was taken to the ground.
Gill then went to HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital and, after hospital staff cleared him, deputies took him to the Macon County Jail. He’s accused of then biting a correctional officer on the right inner forearm with enough force to break the skin.
Gill faces two preliminary charges of resisting/obstructing an officer, another count of aggravated battery to a correctional officer and a charge of consumption of liquor by a minor. Authorities said they also cited him for driving under the influence, disobeying a stop sign, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, illegal transportation of alcohol, failure to signal when required and unlawful possession of cannabis.
His bail is set at $10,000 in Macon County.
