‘That’s really high’: Hall of Fame Bears player Dan Hampton had blood alcohol level twice legal limit when stopped Nov. 20

Bears Hall of Fame defensive lineman and radio broadcaster Dan Hampton had an open jug of wine in his truck and had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when he was stopped by a Winfield police officer Nov. 20, according to charging documents.

Hampton, three miles from his Winfield home, told officers he had five beers at a friend’s house in Lowell, documents said. Later at the hospital, he learned his blood alcohol level was .189. The legal limit in Indiana is .08.

“That’s really high,” he whispered, before an officer took him to jail, documents said.

Hampton was formally charged with three misdemeanor counts related to operating while intoxicated late last week. With the highest penalty, he could face up to a year in jail and/or fines up to $5,000.

Hampton, 64, posted a $2,500 bond, according to court records. The court has recommended suspending his driver’s license. His next court appearance is Jan. 25 before Judge Julie Cantrell.

He is represented by Matthew Fech and Paul Stracci. Fech declined comment Monday.

An officer pulled Hampton’s black Chevrolet truck over on the 11700 block of Iowa Street just before 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 as he was driving 68 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to court documents.

The officer smelled alcohol when Hampton rolled down the window, he wrote in a report, and found a silver YETI cup with a red liquid in the cup holder and a 128-ounce jug of Carlo Rossi wine that was one-quarter empty, the affidavit states.

Hampton tried looking for his paperwork for two minutes, the affidavit said. He handed the officer an Illinois firearm’s owner ID card, saying “it should do,” documents said. He appeared to have bloodshot eyes and was slurring his speech, the officer wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

He told the police officer he was headed home. Hampton braced himself to get out of the truck and walked with an “unsteady balance,” swaying from side-to-side, the officer wrote.

The officer started some field sobriety tests. Hampton declined to take a chemical test and called his son to pick up his truck, the documents said.

When asked if he was drinking the wine while driving, he said he didn’t remember, documents state. The officer took him to Franciscan Health Crown Point, where he obtained a warrant for a blood test from a judge by 9:30 p.m. through the Lake County Prosecutor’s office.

Known to fans as “Danimal,” Hampton played for the Bears from 1979 to 1990, including the 1985 Super Bowl Championship team and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He hosts “The Hamp and O’B” show on WGN Radio with former Bears Ed O’Bradovich, Glen Kozlowski and host Mark Carman.

He was charged with operation of a vehicle with a specified amount of alcohol in body, a class A misdemeanor, operating while intoxicated endangering a person, both class A misdemeanors, and operating while intoxicated, a class C misdemeanor.

Hampton had previous drunken driving arrests in 2002 in Arkansas, days before he was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He served a week in jail and was fined $1,000, according to CNN. He also had past alcohol-related arrests in 1996 and 1997, according to media reports.

Jerry Davich contributed.