His name is Randy Ramey, and the DUI stop occurred last summer.
State Representative Ramey was arrested on an early August morning by Carol Stream police and charged with driving under the influence. He has already pleaded guilty and has been sentenced, but video of his arrest from the police car camera shows Ramey tried to play the influence card.
About ten minutes into the police stop last summer, Ramey was shut down by a Carol Stream officer and is never heard revealing that he is a state representative, chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party and looking to move up in Illinois politics. Ramey could be heard asking, "Do you don't know who I am?" The officer responded: "I could care less."
Ramey was stopped just after 2 a.m. on August 28th. He failed four field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of more than double the legal limit according to police.
A month later, Ramey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI, was fined $1,750, and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Ramey just became DuPage GOP chairman last summer and is the step-son of ex-powerhouse state Senate president Pate Philip.
During the traffic stop, Ramey admitted having a few drinks and later apologized for his conduct, but this video is the first time where he is heard attempting to tell police who he is.
A spokesman for Ramey Thursday night said that Mr. Ramey didn't have to tell the police officer who he was, that the officer already knew because Ramey had state rep license plates on the pickup truck he was driving. The spokesman also tells the I-Team that Ramey is fulfilling his sentence, working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and taking full responsibility for his actions.
Statement of Randy Ramey
It should be clear that alcohol impairs not only your ability to drive, but also your judgment. People say and do things they regret when they are under the influence of alcohol.
I take full responsibility for driving under the influence that evening last year. Carol Stream Police Chief Kevin Orr was quoted describing me as "very cooperative." After the testing and interview had been completed, I asked the police officer if he knew who I was, and I agreed with him when he said it didn't matter who I was. I assumed the officer had probably seen from my license plate that I was a state representative. I had already cooperated and I did not ask for special favors. I expected to be treated like everyone else who makes this kind of mistake.
I have never been involved in an incident like that before and I will make sure that nothing like that happens again. I paid a substantial fine and I am performing community service. I thank God that nothing was damaged and no one was hurt.
It is important to learn from our mistakes and I can tell you that this will be an ongoing effort on my part. Recently, my opponent's campaign, which had access to the police videotape, sent word that if I chose not to run in this election, the tape would not be released to the media. I decided to go forward in any case. If I am to be believed and sincere, then my behavior must be straightforward. From day one, I did not seek to hide an embarrassing mistake. I hope the lessons I have learned will help others avoid my mistake. I trust in the fairness and judgment of the voters to see the totality of who I am and what I have learned from this incident.
