Lawyer Arrested with Force, Charged with DUI

Police said a West Hartford attorney became combative during a drunken driving investigation last weekend and was arrested with force. He faces multiple charges, including third-degree felony assault.

Craig Illinger, 35, of 102 South Quaker Lane, is scheduled to be arraigned June 9 in Hartford Superior Court. He was also charged with driving under the influence, interfering with an officer and three additional motor vehicle violations, police said.

Illinger told arresting officers he is a “part-time state’s attorney,” police said.

Illinger was parked in a driveway at his residence when police arrived shortly after 9 p.m. on May 28. Police said Illinger drove away in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta after making an illegal turn at the intersection of South Quaker Lane and Boulevard. He allegedly cut off and nearly hit an unmarked police car with two detectives, police said.

Illinger failed to produce registration and insurance and was belligerent, police said.

Police said Illinger closed a car door on Det. Thomas Ganley’s leg. Illinger slapped Ganley’s hand and gripped his right wrist, refusing to let go, police said. He was taken to the ground and handcuffed on his stomach, police said.

“I told him very firmly to let go one more time, and when he didn’t, I kneed him in the stomach,” Ganley said in his arrest report.

Ganley sustained minor injuries that did not require medical treatment, police said.

Illinger’s blood-alcohol tests were .206 and .208, police said. The legal limit is .08. He consented to the tests at 9:56 p.m., police said.

Illinger was approved to practice law in Connecticut on Nov. 4, 2002, according to the state judicial website. His office is listed as the third floor at 100 South Quaker Lane. He has no public record of discipline, according to the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee.

Illinger is not listed as an assistant state’s attorney, according to the state Criminal Justice Commission, which appoints state prosecutors. The state prosecutor’s office at Hartford Superior Court said non-appointed attorneys are occasionally hired on a per diem basis.

Illinger posted $10,000 bail and was released.

Illinger allegedly argued in the police department lobby with a 54-year-old employee of Access Bail Bonds regarding her fee. The woman gave police a statement. She said she was verbally attacked by Illinger, who allegedly used an obscenity that is derogatory to women.

Police said Illinger also told them, “I’m going to have fun with this one in court.”