Thursday, December 14, 2006
DUI Cop charged in alcohol-related crash injuring 10 folks
An off-duty central Illinois police officer honored two years ago for cracking down on drunken driving has been charged in an alcohol-related crash that injured 10 people.
Greg Heiken, 37, a 13-year veteran of the El Paso police department, was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Heiken, honored by the Illinois Department of Transportation's traffic safety division in 2004 for making the most DUI arrests in Woodford County, faces up to three years in prison and could lose his job if convicted of the felony aggravated DUI charge.
He was released Tuesday after posting $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Jan. 18 in Tazewell County court.
Authorities say Heiken was driving a truck that rear-ended a sport utility vehicle Monday night on Illinois Route 116 in East Peoria, triggering a chain-reaction crash that injured 10 people.
Two people had to be extricated from their vehicles, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, authorities said. Traffic was diverted for about three hours around the crash scene, near the Par-A-Dice riverboat casino.
In a court affidavit, Heiken admitted to striking a car, but denied starting the crash.
Heiken admitted drinking at the Par-A-Dice, but refused blood-alcohol testing, according to the affidavit. Blood was taken against his wishes because people were injured in the accident, but test results were not available.
Heiken's wife - contacted at the family's home in El Paso, about 20 miles north of Bloomington - said her husband was advised not to comment on the accident.
"There will be no comment," she said. "It's not something we want to discuss all over the town."
El Paso Police Chief Jeff Price said he will consult city officials about possible discipline for Heiken, who he said began a two-week vacation Sunday.
"I'm totally shocked," Price said. "The department is in shock. One of our guys made a bad decision on what to do ... Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved."
Greg Heiken, 37, a 13-year veteran of the El Paso police department, was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Heiken, honored by the Illinois Department of Transportation's traffic safety division in 2004 for making the most DUI arrests in Woodford County, faces up to three years in prison and could lose his job if convicted of the felony aggravated DUI charge.
He was released Tuesday after posting $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Jan. 18 in Tazewell County court.
Authorities say Heiken was driving a truck that rear-ended a sport utility vehicle Monday night on Illinois Route 116 in East Peoria, triggering a chain-reaction crash that injured 10 people.
Two people had to be extricated from their vehicles, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, authorities said. Traffic was diverted for about three hours around the crash scene, near the Par-A-Dice riverboat casino.
In a court affidavit, Heiken admitted to striking a car, but denied starting the crash.
Heiken admitted drinking at the Par-A-Dice, but refused blood-alcohol testing, according to the affidavit. Blood was taken against his wishes because people were injured in the accident, but test results were not available.
Heiken's wife - contacted at the family's home in El Paso, about 20 miles north of Bloomington - said her husband was advised not to comment on the accident.
"There will be no comment," she said. "It's not something we want to discuss all over the town."
El Paso Police Chief Jeff Price said he will consult city officials about possible discipline for Heiken, who he said began a two-week vacation Sunday.
"I'm totally shocked," Price said. "The department is in shock. One of our guys made a bad decision on what to do ... Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved."
# posted by SanDiegoDUI @ 7:10 PM 
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