May 26--The blood alcohol level of a high-ranking Chicago Fire Department official was still nearly twice the legal limit almost four hours after he crashed a department-issued SUV last month off Lake Shore Drive just north of downtown, according to city records.
The documents obtained by the Tribune under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act show that internal investigators with the Fire Department didn't administer the Breathalyzer test to then-Deputy Commissioner John McNicholas until 4:32 a.m. April 20.
The crash took place a little before 1 a.m. that day, just off Lake Shore Drive near North Avenue, while McNicholas was off-duty.
McNicholas had a blood alcohol content of 0.154 percent -- nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to city records.
It was unclear why the First Department didn't test McNicholas until nearly four hours after the crash or why Chicago police did not perform a Breathalyzer test and instead issued only a ticket for negligent driving.
Anthony Guglielmi, chief spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said Wednesday that the department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
"Detectives have met with prosecutors and presented their investigation," Guglielmi said in an email. "Additional follow-up items have been requested by (prosecutors) and those are being completed. The case remains open and active."
McNicholas resigned from the Fire Department shortly after the incident, a department spokesman said at the time.
jgorner@tribpub.com
