A Mundelein man who drove drunk and crashed into a Lake County sheriff’s squad, leaving an auxiliary deputy severely injured in Volo, has been sentenced to probation.
Lake County Sheriff Auxiliary Deputy Thomas Brasuell was directing traffic on December 23, 2019, near Route 12 and Volo Village Road in Volo.
Crash investigators were conducting their investigation of a three-vehicle crash that left an 82-year-old man dead and a 20-year-old man seriously injured.
Brasuell was blocking the scene and directing traffic away from it.
Chris L. Miller, 68, of Mundelein, was driving a 2016 Ford pickup truck southbound on Route 12.
Miller disregarded flares, traffic cones and emergency lights and struck Brasuell’s squad car, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time.
“To alert drivers that the roadway was closed there were eight traffic cones, numerous flares, and a marked squad car with its emergency lights activated parked perpendicular across the lanes of traffic,” Covelli said.
The collision caused the squad car to strike Brasuell, who was standing outside of the squad car.
The deputy suffered serious leg injuries and was transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
Covelli said Miller fled in his vehicle southbound from the scene. His truck became disabled near Fox Lake Road and Route 12 due to the damage and he was taken into custody.
Miller was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, failure to render aid following an accident, improper lane usage, failure to report an accident, failure to reduce speed and operating an uninsured vehicle.
It took months for Brasuell to recover from the significant injuries he sustained in the crash.
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg presented Brasuell with the Lake County Sheriff’s Purple Heart Award in early 2021.
Court records show Miller recently entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash involving bodily harm in exchange for his other charges being dismissed.
Lake County Judge Christopher Stride sentenced Miller to 24 months of probation and 240 hours of public service.
Miller was ordered to abstain from consuming alcohol and possessing illegal drugs, court records show.
He was also ordered to attend DUI school and undergo drug testing along with other probation conditions.