DuPage judge fined $500 in Glen Ellyn crash

金牛银熊

DuPage County Judge Kenneth Popejoy was fined $500 after pleading guilty to reckless driving charges today.

Popejoy also received a conditional discharge sentence of six months, a lesser form of probation. He did not comment other than to make his plea in court.

Popejoy initially was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and failure to give information after striking an unattended motor vehicle on the evening of June 29.

According to DuPage County Circuit Court records, Popejoy was driving west in the 300 block of Ridgewood Avenue in Glen Ellyn when his 2003 Jeep struck another Jeep that was parked.

According to the court file, Popejoy left the scene "while the passenger side front tire was nearly off the rim, disobeying two stop signs and causing a 13-year-old girl to jump out of the way to avoid being struck."

A witness obtained his license plate number and about 15 minutes later police from Glen Ellyn and Wheaton appeared at Popejoy's Wheaton home.

He declined to make any statement to them, stating that he had called his attorney and was evoking his right to remain silent.

The police reports makes no mention of evidence involving alcohol.

Illinois law calls for any motorist involved in an accident with injuries to have his blood-alcohol determined, but if there are no injuries, there is no requirement.

Initially Glen Ellyn and Wheaton issued local ordinance citations, but after the DuPage County State's Attorney's office was informed of the crash, it took over prosecution of the case.

Birkett said that was due in part to the Glen Ellyn village prosecutor's personal ties to Popejoy.

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Ogle County Chief Judge Michael Mallon to preside over the case. It  a common occurrence for a judge from another county to hear a case when another judge faces a charge in the county in which he serves.

The maximum penalty in Illinois for a misdemeanor crime is up to a year in the county jail, but first time offenders rarely ever get sentenced to any jail time.

Popejoy, 59, currently serves in the chancery division of DuPage County Circuit Court and has been a circuit judge since 2004 after serving as an associate judge since 1997.  Last year he announced that he was going to run for the Illinois Appellate Court, but withdrew when the current judge decided to continue in office.