Woman Blows 4 TIMES LEGAL LIMIT (0.32% BAC) after Crashing into a Ditch

On August 5, 2023 at approximately 9:03 PM, Officers Matthew Tolmie and Pedro Urbina with the Highland Park Police Department responded to an accident call near the Mutual Ace Hardware store parking lot. The officers made contact with the caller, who told the officers that he was driving his 2019 BMW westbound on Skokie Valley Road, and a 2016 Mercedes swerved into the passenger side of his vehicle as he approached the intersection with Half Day Road. After the accident, the driver of the Mercedes fled the scene while the driver of the BMW followed her. As he was following her, he noticed the Mercedes skid into a ditch. After speaking with the caller, the Officer Tolmie approached the Mercedes which was in a ditch nearby. He made contact with the driver, later identified as Rachel Leshchinsky, and instructed her to exit the vehicle.

Rachel began to smoke a cigarette as she exited the vehicle, and Officer Tolmie also detected the odor of alcohol. When Rachel was asked where she was coming from, she told the officers that she was coming from Libertyville where she had been trying to go on a date. Officer Tolmie noticed that Rachel’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot and she was slurring her speech, so he asked her how much she had been drinking. Rachel initially denied consuming alcohol. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Officer Tolmie offered Rachel an opportunity to participate in field sobriety exercises.

The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and Officer Tolmie observed a lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Rachel made 2 attempts but she failed to maintain her balance or walk heel-to-toe, so this test was discontinued for her safety. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Rachel failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and began to fall to the left after about 5 seconds. This test was also discontinued based on safety concerns.

Following the field sobriety exercises, Officer Tolmie offered Rachel an opportunity to take a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT). The results of the PBT indicated that Rachel’s BAC was at 0.32%, which is four times the legal limit of 0.08%. Based on the indicators of impairment they observed, Rachel’s inability to perform the field sobriety exercises, and the results of the PBT, Officer Tolmie placed Rachel under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was handcuffed, Rachel was placed in the patrol car. A search of her vehicle yielded 3 cartons of Verdange Pinot Grigio wine in the back.

The officers initially transported Rachel to the Highland Park Hospital for further evaluation. At the hospital, she told hospital staff that she had drank approximately 2 jugs of wine. After the Warning to Motorist form was read to her, Rachel agreed to provide blood and urine samples for testing. After she was released from the hospital, the officers transported her to the Highland Park Police Department for further processing. Once they were at police HQ, Rachel was advised of her Constitutional rights and she agreed to waive them and answer questions. During questioning, Rachel admitted to consuming wine before the accident.

After questioning, Rachel was photographed and fingerprinted. Once they finished processing her, she was released to another adult on a Recognizance Bond pending her court appearance. Officer Tolmie cited Rachel for the following offenses: Driving under the influence, illegal transportation of alcohol, disobeying a traffic control device, driving with registration revoked, leaving the scene of an accident with vehicle damage, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident

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