LOGAN SQUARE — Disgraced former 1st Ward Ald. Proco Joe Moreno was sent to jail on Thursday, more than a week after being charged in a drunk driving crash while out on bond for a pending insurance fraud case.
A Cook County judge revoked Moreno’s bail at a Thursday court hearing, ordering him into custody, according to Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He turned himself in at the Cook County courthouse later in the afternoon.
In doing so, the judge called Moreno “an extreme danger to the community,” according to the Tribune. At the time of the crash, Moreno’s blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit, the Tribune reported.
The Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office didn’t immediately respond Thursday to a request for more information.
“Right now, he’s remanded (to custody),” Judge William Hooks said. “And that red cup he’s using, I hope he’s drinking water out of that red cup, during the Zoom.”
RELATED: Former Ald. Proco Joe Moreno Charged With Drunk Driving In Gold Coast Crashes
Moreno, 48, slammed into eight parked cars on North Astor Street in the Gold Coast around 9:20 p.m. Dec. 27, police said.
The former alderman, who was ousted from City Council in 2019, was taken into custody at the scene and later charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and five counts of failure to notify damage to an unattended vehicle.
The DUI and reckless driving charges come about a year and a half after Moreno was charged with insurance fraud and obstruction of justice for falsely reporting his Audi stolen.
Police and prosecutors have alleged Moreno let a woman he was dating get arrested in the luxury car he loaned her after falsely reporting the car was stolen from his garage.
In that case, Moreno was released from jail on his own recognizance. At the time, Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. said if allegations are true it was a “terrible lapse in judgment, but noted Moreno is alleged to have committed a non-violent crime.
This time, though, Hooks held no punches and ordered Moreno into custody.
In the DUI case, Moreno was driving the same Audi he reported stolen in 2019 — without insurance, according to the Tribune.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.