Well, that didn’t take long.
Did anybody think it would? Did anybody think that former U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton could get through a whole year without being caught driving drunk at least once? He got cited in each of the two previous years, so why would 2019 be different?
Wigginton got pulled over for drunk driving in Troy three years ago, and again a year later in Edwardsville. Both times, he tried to intimidate the arresting officers by asking them if they knew who he was. Whether they did or not, they didn’t care, and good for them. There’s one law for all of us, or there should be, and the penalty for breaking it should be the same for everyone, if not more severe for officers of the law.
Wigginton should have lost his license last time, after two DUIs in two years, but the man who was caught driving under the influence seemed to have enough influence to keep driving. All thanks to a “clerical error” at the courthouse.
That didn’t sit well with Madison County Board member Chrissy Dutton, whose brother was killed by a drunk driver, and she spoke out about it last year. Now, after Wigginton’s third arrest for driving under the influence, she’s speaking out again, chastising Circuit Clerk Mark von Nida for the “clerical error” that allowed an obvious public menace to remain one.
“Now here we are less than a year later and we can see how Von Nida’s blunder put innocent people at risk,” she commented. “A 3rd DUI charge in less than 3 years?! Let’s hope the Circuit Clerk stays on top of scheduling Wigginton’s hearing before a family has to suffer a tragic loss at the hands of this repeat offender.”
Von Nida insists he’s not “responsible for drunks,” and that’s certainly true, but he is responsible for clerical error that allow drunks to stay on the road. The person ultimately responsible, however, is Stephen Wigginton.
Man up, Steve. Take cabs. Call Uber. Bum rides from friends. Or stop drinking.