DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (July 12, 2005) -- Former Chicago Bears quarterback Bob Avellini has been charged with drunken driving for the third time in as many years.
Avellini, 51, was arrested July 10 after police spotted him driving erratically about 12:40 a.m. in Downers Grove, a suburb west of Chicago, police spokesman Lt. Lee Hahn said.
Authorities charged him with driving under the influence, speeding, improper lane use and failure to signal a turn, Hahn said. He was released on $100 cash bond and turned over his driver's license to authorities.
Avellini, who played for the Bears from 1975 to 1984, already faces DUI and speeding charges from his Feb. 28 arrest in Wood Dale, another western suburb, DuPage County state's attorney spokeswoman Emily Lesniak said. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
In December 2002, Avellini was sentenced to court supervision and 50 hours of public service after pleading guilty to drunken driving in September 2002. He also was ordered to undergo counseling and to pay a $950 fine.
Avellini also was arrested in June 2002 and charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property after police said he smashed the window of a Chicago bar with a golf club. That case was dismissed.
