DUI dropped as former Belleville councilman pleads guilty to lesser charge
A former Belleville City Council member who was charged with aggravated driving under the influence while serving on the council three years ago has pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.
Joe Hazel, 65, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct not involving a motor vehicle, according to the St. Clair County Circuit Clerk’s Office. His felony charge of aggravated DUI was dismissed.
Neither Hazel nor his defense attorney, Rick Roustio of Belleville, could be reached for comment.
St. Clair County Circuit Judge John O’Gara ordered that Hazel make an appointment for an evaluation regarding alcohol use and then comply with the recommended treatment. A compliance review is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Hazel also was ordered to pay $2,500 in fines and court costs. Hazel was charged after Belleville police responded to East B Street on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2022, because a man was driving a white pickup truck in the area honking his horn. Officers found the truck but did not see the driver.
As the officers were speaking to a resident, the person pointed out a 2012 Mercedes-Benz as it passed by. It was being driven by the same man who had been driving the pickup truck.
Police said Hazel exited the Mercedes-Benz when officers made contact with him and they had cause to believe he was intoxicated.
Hazel was charged with aggravated DUI on April 12, 2022, for allegedly driving the Mercedes-Benz while under the influence of alcohol. The charging documents note Hazel had previously committed the offense of DUI in 1987 and 1991 in Jackson County.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that Hazel’s driver’s license is valid.
Hazel served as Ward 1 alderman from 2015 to 2023 on the east side of Belleville. He was first elected to the seat in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019. He did not run for the seat in 2023.
After he was charged in 2022, Hazel said he would not resign his seat but he declined to comment on the charge. “I’ve got a lot of support in my ward,” he said at the time.
He remained in office until his second term ended in 2023.
