Bodycam video shows Peoria Heights mayor sleeping in SUV before DUI arrest
By: -----
Peoria Heights, IL - Body camera footage from the DUI arrest last month of Peoria Heights Mayor Matthew Wigginton.
The video details exactly how he was found in his Lexus in Downtown Peoria.
The arrest happened during the early morning hours of April 17, after an event Wigginton attended at the Pere Marquette Hotel.
Peoria Police approached Mayor Wigginton inside an SUV in a parking deck just before 2:45 a.m.
His head was down onto the steering wheel. When officers opened the door and tried to talk with him, he appeared to show signs of intoxication. At times, he was heavily slurring his words.
Wigginton also seemed to struggle when asked to follow instructions from the officer.
His lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, previously said the mayor wasn’t feeling well after the dinner and decided to take a nap.
Peoria firefighters responded as well for a health check.
Attorney Sullivan said the mayor is not guilty and intends to fight the charge.
The 42-year-old mayor was elected last May.
His next court appearance is June 19.