‘I’m sure on benzos’: Suburban man charged with DUI, driving with missing wheel

Riverside police officers stumbled upon a 2005 Chevy passenger car stopped in the middle of a road early Thursday in the west suburb and found it had a missing wheel and a man who appeared intoxicated sitting inside.

Raymond P. Schroeder, 42, was arrested shortly after midnight at 31st Street just east of First Avenue, according to a statement from Riverside police. The resident of North Riverside was charged with three counts of driving under the influence of substances including alcohol and the benzodiazepine prescription drug Clonazepam.

Officers found Schroeder sitting behind the wheel of the damaged car in the inner lane of the street, police said. Drag marks that trailed the car were visible on the road.

When an officer smelled alcohol and interrogated Schroeder about his sobriety, police said he responded, “I’m not really drunk but I’m sure on benzos.”

He then explained he takes the drug, which is usually prescribed to patients with anxiety disorders, twice a day and had been pairing it with alcohol before driving on Thursday, police said.

The driver failed all field sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer or drug prescription test once arrested, police said. He also did not have an explanation of where the car’s fourth wheel was.

Schroeder faces additional charges of driving without insurance, driving with a missing tire and improper parking on a road, police said. He posted bail on Thursday, and the date of his next court appearance was not immediately available.

In 2015 Schroeder was taken into custody twice by CPD officers, who discovered there was an arrest warrant out for him, according to the Chicago Police Department’s website.

“As the holidays approach, I assure you that alcohol and drug DUI arrests will skyrocket,” Riverside police chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “I highly encourage drivers to designate a sober driver or use a ride-share service.”