When it comes to a DUI, most cases might make the local blotter or the local nightly or morning news. Then consider what might happen with a celebrity DUI. Not only is it picked up by the local news, but tabloid sites like TMZ and the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom get wind of the story and all of a sudden what would have been a forgotten moment a week later is still making the rounds of various news and entertainment sites alike. Steve Wilkos learned that lesson well as Enstarz reports.
On January 21, talk show host and former Jerry Springer bodyguard Steve Wilkos was in an accident while heading to a Colorado neighborhood. He struck a telephone pole and flipped his vehicle.
On February 21, Wilkos was arrested by the Darien police department. Allegedly, his blood alcohol content was 0.29%, well over twice the legal limit.
Statements from witnesses to the accident in January were released by the police on February 26th. They state that prior to the accident that Wilkos was driving recklessly and swerving so badly that two other motorists had to stop their vehicles to avoid crashing into Wilkos.
After the accident, Wilkos would claim that he had not been driving under the influence. He would say that he had been driving without his glasses and was trying to locate them when the accident took place.
After being charged with driving under the influence and failing to drive right, Wilkos came clean about the accident.
“Over the course of my life, I have been struggling with bouts of depression, and on the day of my accident, I had a complete lapse in judgment which resulted in me drinking and getting behind the wheel of my car. I am very lucky and so grateful that no one else was involved in the accident,” Wilkos stated.