From Chicago Tribune
In his first court appearance since he allegedly caused a car crash last month that killed a mother of four, south suburban Lynwood Clerk Roel Valle this morning pleaded innocent to multiple charges.
Valle, 64, sat in wheelchair because of severe injuries to his leg sustained in the wreck, his attorney, Ray Garza said. A public official for more than 20 years, Valle has been charged with one count of reckless homicide and six counts of aggravated drunken driving, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
“This is a tragic case,” Valle’s attorney, Ray Garza said. “(Valle) is grief stricken about the loss here. He is beside himself, to say the least.”
It’s not clear if Valle, who broke his right femur and his left arm in the crash, still is the Lynwood clerk. Garz deferred questions about Valle’s employment status to the village. Mayor Eugene Williams has not returned messages for comment.
Valle declined comment after the brief court hearing. He is due in court May 2.
Prosecutors alleged that on Feb. 3, Valle attended a political fundraiser, where he drank at an open bar, then left and drove a village-issued 2008 Ford Taurus to nearby Northwoods Saloon in Crete. There he drank alcohol at the bar for about an hour before getting back in the car headed for another bar, prosecutors said….MORE