Former U.S. attorney arrested in Edwardsville on third DUI charge in two years
For the third time since 2017 in Madison County, former U.S. Attorney Steve Wigginton is facing a DUI charge.
In the latest case, Wigginton was arrested on a driving under the influence charge on Thursday in Edwardsville, Police Chief Jay Keeven said Friday.
Keeven said he did not have details on Wigginton’s arrest on Thursday but that he expects to get more information on Monday when the officer who arrested Wigginton will complete his report.
Wigginton could not be reached for comment on Friday. The next court date for his latest charge is 1 p.m. Feb. 5.
Wigginton resigned as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois in November 2015. He was appointed to the post in 2010.
Prior arrests
Here’s a rundown of Wigginton’s record:
▪ Wigginton’s previous DUI arrest was nearly a year ago. He was arrested on Dec. 31, 2018, in Edwardsville after his ex-wife called police to report that Wigginton was intoxicated. Wigginton was arrested near the intersection of Plummer Drive and Commerce Drive.
His next court date for this charge is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 2, according to Madison County court records.
A police video of this arrest shows Wigginton attempting to stand with one foot off the ground, at one point almost falling over toward the officer.
David Rands of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s Office was assigned the case because Wigginton previously had served in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Rands could not be reached for comment Friday.
Curtis Dawson had been listed as Wigginton’s attorney for this case but Dawson could not be reached Friday for comment on whether he is still representing Wigginton.
▪ Wigginton was arrested on a DUI charge in May 2017 after a 2009 Cadillac plowed through a fence off Interstate 55-70 in Troy. Wigginton pleaded guilty to the charge in 2017 and was sentenced to court supervision and a fine of $1,500. Rands also was the special prosecutor for this case.
Federal investigation
Last May, Wigginton admitted to a four-year, extramarital affair with a subordinate in the U.S. Attorney’s Office but he denied that it interfered with his duties while he served as U.S. attorney. However, a report by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General said the consensual affair with a supervisor in his office created an “unbearable atmosphere” for other employees. Investigators determined it led to unequal treatment of employees, misuse of government time and other ethical conflicts.
Wigginton’s name was not initially released by the Department of Justice but it was released as part of a lawsuit filed by BuzzFeed News.
“I readily admitted the affair within five minutes,” he told the Belleville News-Democrat in May. “I am sorry for any damage I caused to my family or friends.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 3:23 PM.
