(This story has been corrected. A previous version incorrectly stated that Judge Slemer had closed the file on Stephen Wigginton's first DUI case. In fact, it was [former] associate judge Luther Simmons who found that Wigginton met all requirements of supervision and did not violate laws in any jurisdiction).
EDWARDSVILLE – Former U.S. attorney Stephen Wigginton of Edwardsville pleaded guilty of driving under the influence on Nov. 2.
He agreed to pay $2,800 in fines and costs, and special prosecutor David Rands agreed to dismiss an earlier DUI charge.
Madison County Associate Judge Philip Alfeld placed him on two years probation.
The agreement spared Wigginton a felony charge for committing the offense three times in three years.
After his third arrest he voluntarily placed his law license on inactive status.
The first arrest occurred in May 2017, after his Cadillac ran off US 40 in Troy and knocked down a wide section of fence along the right of way.
He pleaded guilty in July 2017, and Madison County Associate Judge Ronald Slemer imposed $1,500 in fines and costs.
Slemer placed Wigginton on 12 months of supervision, ordered alcohol treatment, and sent him to a victim impact panel.
Three months later a different judge, Luther Simmons, closed the file, finding Wigginton met all requirements of supervision and didn’t violate laws in any jurisdiction. Simmons is no longer an associate judge.
Edwardsville police arrested Wigginton in December 2018, in his Jeep at Plummer and Commerce Drives.
They issued tickets for driving under the influence and improper lane usage.
Wigginton moved to continue trial in June, August, and October 2019, and Rands didn’t object.
Last Dec. 26, Edwardsville police arrested Wigginton in his Jeep on Illinois Route 157 at Club Centre Court.
They issued tickets for driving under the influence, driving without insurance, and failure to reduce speed.
A week later Wiggington moved to continue trial on the tickets from 2018, and Rands didn’t object.
Nor did Rands object to continuances of both tickets in February, March, July, August, September, and October.
Wigginton’s lawyer Curtis Dawson of Edwardsville requested a hearing on a change of plea on Oct. 30, and Alfeld set it Nov. 2.
At the hearing, Wigginton signed a waiver of jury trial.
“My decision to plead guilty is the result of plea negotiations that have occurred between the state and my attorney, and the terms of that agreement as spelled out in detail in the court order of probation that I have signed,” it states.
“No force, threats, or promises, apart from the plea agreement, were made against me to obtain the plea.
“I further understand that under current Illinois law, a third DUI can be charged as a felony.”
Alfeld dismissed the driving under the influence charge from 2018 and the tickets for improper lane usage, driving without insurance, and failure to reduce speed.
Alfeld’s probation order provided that Wiggington should receive advance authorization from his probation officer before leaving the state.
It required 160 hours of public service.
It states that treatment was completed and added, “Further treatment as ordered by probation.”
Alfeld also ordered Wigginton to attend a victim impact panel and to appear in court to prove his compliance on Dec. 11.
Wigginton held the position of U.S. attorney from 2010 to 2015.