Belleville alderman with history of drunken driving is charged again
A Belleville Ward 1 Alderman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following an investigation of a St. Patrick’s Day police stop.
Joseph “Joe” Hazel, 62, of 919 East B Street, was charged Tuesday by St. Clair County State’s Attorney Jim Gomric’s office with aggravated driving under the influence. Bail was set for him at $40,000.
It wasn’t Hazel’s first DUI, according to court records.
According to the arrest warrant, Hazel drove a white 2012 Mercedes-Benz on East B Street while under the influence on March 17. Charging documents detail two prior offenses, including DUI’s from November 1987 and April 1991, both of which were prosecuted in Jackson County.
Hazel is not currently in custody, according to jail records. It was not immediately clear if it’s because he posted the required bail.
He could not be reached for comment.
Belleville Police were dispatched to a reported noise disturbance in the 900 block of East B Street on the day of Hazel’s arrest, said Capt. Mark Heffernan.
“It was reported to the Belleville Police Department dispatch that a male subject was driving a white pickup truck in the area honking his horn,” Heffernan said. “A resident in the area asked for the police to respond to investigate the noise disturbance.
Responding officers located a white Dodge truck at the rear of Hazel’s home, but got no response when they attempted to make contact with him.
“While officers were speaking with the reporting party, the reporting party pointed out a white Mercedes-Benz driving by and stated it was being driven by the same subject that was driving the white truck in the area,” Heffernan said. “Officers responded to the location where the Mercedes-Benz parked and found it was at the same residence as the white Dodge truck.”
Heffernan said Hazel exited the driver’s door of the Mercedes-Benz when Belleville Police officers made contact with him.
“Officers had cause to believe Hazel was intoxicated. Standard field sobriety testing was conducted at the scene and officers observed clues during the testing to support probable cause for Hazel’s arrest for driving under the influence,” Heffenan said.
Based on Hazel’s DUI history, officers applied for search warrant so they could get a blood sample. It was granted and Hazel was released pending the results.
Hazel, a Country Financial representative, was elected to the Belleville City Council in 2015 and won a second term in 2019. According to his most recent candidate profile in the BND Voter’s Guide, Hazel helped re-establish and served as president of the Oakland Neighborhood Watch Association.
He has campaigned, in part, on a public safety platform with “programs designed to bring neighbors together, improve safety and awareness to reduce crime ...” the profile states.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 2:50 PM.
