A Joliet police officer, Erin Zilka, faces charges of driving under the influence (DUI) and driving too fast for conditions after a crash that killed her passenger, 33-year-old Berwyn Police Officer Charles "Chuck" Schauer. Both officers were off-duty during the incident.
Schauer, a 10-year veteran of the Berwyn Police Department, died as a result of the crash on Interstate 55 in Plainfield Township. Zilka, 35, was driving a Dodge Durango that collided with a vehicle involved in an earlier drunken driving crash.
The Illinois State Police are investigating the fatal crash, while the Joliet Police Department has also launched an internal investigation. Zilka, a 12-year veteran of the Joliet Police Department, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Zilka's attorney, Jeff Tomczak, stated that her blood alcohol content was below the state's limit of .08 but did not disclose the exact result. Tomczak also mentioned that Zilka is "totally devastated" by the incident and that the box truck had been blocking traffic when she encountered the accident.
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Civil Rights Lawsuit filed for a man shot by the Joliet Police Department
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