DEKALB COUNTY (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - An off-duty police officer from south suburban South Holland is accused by prosecutors in DeKalb County of being drunk and causing a two-vehicle crash that killed a woman.
Police in DeKalb said a pickup truck driven by James Corralejo hit another vehicle early Sunday morning at Seventh and Taylor streets.
Investigators told the Daily Chronicle Corralejo was not injured, but a woman riding in the other vehicle suffered a severe injury and later died at a hospital.
Police said three others riding with the woman were also hurt, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
DeKalb County State's Attorney Rick Amato said police gave Corralejo a breathalyzer test, which showed his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
Prosecutors have charged Corralejo with reckless homicide, aggravated driving while drunk, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and improper lane usage.
“Careless driving, unfortunately in this case it’s a case of drunk driving, and we do our best to make sure everybody is held accountable equally for making these decisions…When you choose to drink and drive and crash, causing somebody to die, we take those very seriously,” Amato said.
Prosecutors asked a judge to keep Corralejo in custody, but the judge opted to release him after placing him on a device that monitors his alcohol levels.
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