DUI case against Ditka's son dropped

- A prosecutor said he didn't think former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka's celebrity status was a factor in the dismissal of felony charges against his son. Michael Ditka, 49, escaped prosecution for his fourth drunken-driving arrest last week when a Lake County, Ill., judge refused to reconsider his earlier dismissal of the case. Charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence by Judge Brian Hughes, who ruled there were constitutional shortcomings regarding Ditka's contact with police in April while seated in his parked car at his Deerfield home. Assistant State's Attorney Robert Money said he was disappointed with ruling but did not think Ditka's dad influenced the decision. "I don't believe it has anything to do with his celebrity status," Money told the Chicago Tribune. The newspaper said Judge Hughes determined that police had carried out an improper search when they asked Ditka to step out of the vehicle with no reasonable evidence that Ditka was involved in anything illegal at the time. The Tribune noted that Ditka's brother, Mark, faces a court hearing March 7 on his third DUI address.