On July 11, 2016, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy while leaving his assignment following the Gary Air Show struck a Frankfort, Illinois man who was attempting to get into his vehicle.  Following the collision and impact with the Illinois man, the deputy immediately drove away from the injured pedestrian before being later stopped by a Gary police officer near Hemlock Avenue. At the time of the collision, the Sheriff’s deputy was wearing his uniform and driving an unmarked police vehicle and was found to have consumed nearly twice the legal blood alcohol content allowed when later tested after arriving at the hospital.  Following the collision, both the deputy and the victim were taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake, where the Illinois man remains in serious condition. As a result of this incident, the Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy now faces four felony charges, along with ten misdemeanors and has been since placed on administrative leave. These charges if upheld, demonstrate a pattern of incidents involving the deputy, which include a$130,000 personal injury settlement in a 2006 case where a man alleged he was beaten by the deputy and a recent demotion following an altercation with another deputy.

Although, Lake County Sheriff’s Department has seen multiple incidents involving OWI allegations in the recent past, drunk driving violations are not instances isolated to the northwest region within Indiana, but throughout the entire state.  Stay alert while on the road and call 911 if you observed impaired driving to prevent you or other motorists from avoidable collisions and serious injuries.  If you or a loved one are injured due to the negligence of another, please contact Schiller Law at 888-578-3100 or on the web at IndyInjured.com to know your rights following a serious injury.

Sources:

https://wlfi.com/2016/07/13/lake-county-indiana-officer-faces-charges-after-crash/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/crime/ct-ptb-lake-cop-arrested-st-712-20160711-story.html

https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/172786239-story