Man arrested with 0.0 blood alcohol content settles with Naperville for $10,000

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David Briddle was driving his Mercedes sedan when he got stopped by Naperville police and arrested for DUI on May 30, but he blew a 0.0 and was released. Then the police reported his arrest to the Naperville Sun and put in the police blotter. He poses by his auto otuside his home on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 in Glen Ellyn. | Richard A. Chapman~Sun-Times

Updated: November 30, 2011 12:18AM

A west suburban man has settled his lawsuit against Naperville for $10,000 after claiming he was humiliated when the city released information about his Memorial Day drunken-driving arrest — even though he had tested negative for alcohol.

David Briddle’s lawsuit accused Naperville of engaging in a pattern of false DUI arrests. The incentive is to boost the number of arrests to provide the city with recognition and revenue, Briddle claimed. Last year, Naperville ranked No. 2 in DUI arrests among Illinois cities other than Chicago, Briddle noted.

But a Chicago Sun-Times analysis showed Briddle’s experience seems to have been an isolated one. Most people who took a Breathalyzer test in Naperville from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July this year had a blood-alcohol concentration well above the legal driving limit of .08, according to arrest reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Of the 70 arrests over that period, 21 people refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Another 48 people submitted to the test and had a blood-alcohol concentration of at least .08 — with an average result of .148. There was one drug-related DUI arrest. Five of the arrested people were involved in non-injury vehicle accidents.

Briddle, 52, of Glen Ellyn, was released without charges on May 30 after blowing 0.0 on a Breathalyzer test. But he was still fingerprinted, his mug shot was taken and information about his arrest was provided to a local newspaper, which published it.

In the arrest report, Naperville police said Briddle admitted he drank four to five beers on the day he was stopped. He also failed a field-sobriety test before he took the Breathalyzer, police said. In his lawsuit, however, Briddle said he passed the field-sobriety test.