A glamorous Illinois Democratic legislator allegedly mocked a police officer's penis size as she was being handcuffed for driving under the influence. Samantha Steele, 45, a Democratic lawmaker from Evanston, Illinois, who represents District 2, has been charged with misdemeanor DUI and misbehaving with an on-duty officer.
During her arrest for drunk driving, Steele allegedly kept mocking the officer who was arresting her, and repeatedly kept asking him, "Is your penis that small?" as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Police responded to a two-car collision with significant damage on North Ashland Avenue in the Ravenswood neighborhood at 8:49 p.m. Sunday. Steele admitted to driving into another vehicle at the scene.
Losing All Her Control
"I observed her eyes were bloodshot and glassy," an officer wrote in the report. "I also detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her breathe as she spoke," Chicago Sun Times reported.
Officers also spotted an open bottle of red wine on the passenger side floor of Steele's car. The first-term Cook County official declined to take field sobriety tests and did not tell the officers how much alcohol she had consumed before driving.
"I want my lawyer, and I am not talking to you," Steele told the arresting officers after being asked how much she had drunk, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Steele was then handcuffed, arrested, and taken to the hospital for treatment of head injuries she claimed to have sustained. While being handcuffed, she repeatedly mocked the arresting officer by asking if his "penis is that small."
Steele, who was elected to the Cook County Board of Review in 2022, has faced several controversies during her career. She won her seat after defeating Michael Cabonargi in the Democratic primary, succeeding him as the official in charge of deciding property tax appeals.
However, Steele has not been without her share of legal troubles. In July 2024, Franke Calabrese, a former aide of Steele's, filed a whistleblower lawsuit against her, the county property-tax appeal agency, and her chief assistant.
Calabrese, who had worked as both an appeals analyst and communications director for Steele, claimed he was fired in May of that year.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Calabrese accused Steele and her chief of staff, Dan Balanoff, of pressuring him to engage in political activities against fellow commissioners Larry Rogers Jr. and George Cardenas.
Major Allegations
Calabrese also claims that Steele defended her decision to hire Jon Snyder, a former northwest Indiana politician with a history of federal tax convictions and involvement in a corruption case involving his brother.
In March 2024, Steele was involved in a controversy over the property tax bill for the Chicago Bears' Arlington Park property, a potential site for a new stadium.
Steele, accused by the Cook County watchdog of leaking confidential tax appeal information, faced further scrutiny when the allegations mirrored those in Calabrese's lawsuit.
Steele has been at the center of several high-profile disputes, including those involving her hiring decisions and her handling of sensitive tax matters.
In a lawsuit filed in July, Calabrese accused Steele of asking him to create and distribute a memo to county officials regarding the Chicago Bears' property tax appeal.
He also alleged that Steele disclosed the board's decision on the racetrack property's valuation before the final vote had taken place.
Calabrese claims he was punished for seeking legal advice from the board's top lawyer about the matter and was fired in May.
Steele is due in court on December 27 to address charges related to a drunk driving incident.
