The sheriff’s office says a man suffered critical injuries and died in a drunk-driving ATV crash near Spring Grove Tuesday morning and acquaintances of the man tampered with evidence.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1 a.m. Tuesday to the intersection of North Lake Shore Drive and Greenwood Avenue in unincorporated Spring Grove for a call of a person down.
The initial 911 caller informed dispatchers that they found a person lying on the ground, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located Glenn Luthardt, 56, of Spring Grove, with multiple injuries.
There was no vehicle in the vicinity and no initial obvious signs he was struck by a vehicle.
Lutheardt was unconscious and unresponsive, Covelli said.
Luthardt was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
Sheriff’s detectives and sheriff’s crash investigators responded to the scene to further investigate.
An extensive investigation, including viewing nearby video surveillance and interviewing a number of people, was conducted.
Covelli said that detectives determined Luthardt was drinking at a nearby bar.
Before leaving the bar, he tripped and fell, which caused some injuries to his face.
Luthardt left the bar on his ATV a short time later.
A witness told detectives that Luthardt crossed Grass Lake Road onto Lake Shore Drive and accelerated at a high rate of speed.
He lost control and was ejected from the ATV. The ATV landed on top of him.
An acquaintance who was following Luthardt home was able to remove the ATV from his body and called for help from additional acquaintances, Covelli said.
“Knowing Luthardt was likely under the influence of alcohol and driving with a revoked driver’s license, the acquaintances removed Luthardt’s ATV from the scene, so there was no evidence he was driving,” Covelli said.
Detectives searched the area following the crash and located Luthardt’s ATV several hours later in the backyard of a residence approximately a half-mile from the scene.
The incident remains under investigation and criminal charges are possible.