PEORIA (25 News) – Peoria Heights Mayor Matthew Wigginton has been found not guilty of drunk driving.
The Peoria County jury deliberated about a half-hour before acquitting the first-term mayor of the charge.
Wigginton chose not to testify in his own defense during the one-day trial.
He was found slumped over the steering wheel of a parked car after attending the Peoria Gridiron Dinner in April at the Marriott Pere Marquette Hotel.
The Peoria County prosecutor trying Wigginton said body camera footage from the arrest showed Wigginton was confused and intoxicated at the time of his arrest.
Wigginton’s attorney Kevin Sullivan did not call any witnesses.
Prosecution witnesses said Wigginton smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and showed signs of an altered mental state.
A police officer testified a key fob was found in the mayor’s coat pocket.
Sullivan said the car was not running, Wigginton never tried to start the vehicle, and there’s no evidence he intended to drive.
After a long night in warm weather, Sullivan said Wigginton just wanted to rest.
The mayor was facing possible penalties including up to a year in jail, fines, probation or court supervision if he had been found guilty.
(Reporting by Liz Lape, Andrew Harvey, and Howard Packowitz)
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