PEORIA — Peoria Heights Mayor Matt Wigginton was arrested on charges of driving under the influence after Peoria police found him asleep in his vehicle in a Downtown parking deck early Friday morning.
The 42-year-old mayor was booked at 8:10 a.m. at Peoria County Jail and released by 10:30 a.m. on an order to appear, according to county records.
“Given that the matter is still ongoing, I think it’s best to refer (comment) to my attorney,” Wigginton said in a text message to the Journal Star on Saturday. “He’ll be able to provide you all the particulars.”
Wigginton’s attorney, Kevin F. Sullivan, told the Journal Star the Peoria Heights mayor attended the 77th annual Peoria Gridiron Dinner at the Pere Marquette on Thursday night.
“There were about 400 people in attendance, and it was an unusually long evening, 5½ hours long, and very warm inside,” Sullivan said. “After the event concluded … (Wigginton) was walking to his car, and he wasn’t feeling well.”
Sullivan said the mayor decided to rest in his vehicle, a Lexus LX570 SUV, and that his keys remained in his suit jacket pocket.
“Matt was asleep inside of his vehicle when he was apprehended by a Peoria police officer,” Sullivan said. “Matt had not driven his vehicle, the vehicle was not running, nor had it been started for several hours. He was safely and appropriately parked in a private parking deck in Downtown Peoria.
“I believe the police officer could have exercised far better discretion under these circumstances since no one was otherwise affected or endangered.
“Under Illinois law, a person should either endanger themselves by being unsheltered, or drive to their destination ‘under the radar’ to hopefully avoid apprehension, which seems illogical.”
Wigginton was elected in April 2025, then a village board member who ran for mayor unopposed after two-term Peoria Heights mayor Mike Phelan chose not to seek reelection.
“He’s a tremendous, dedicated servant,” Sullivan said of Wigginton. “We’re going to fight this DUI.”
The Peoria Police Department declined on Saturday to provide the full police report from the incident to the Journal Star.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Attorney blasts DUI charges against Peoria Heights mayor
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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