Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart has been accused by his political opponent of committing a crime by failing to report a crash involving his county-issued vehicle.
The incident happened over seven months ago on January 12 at Rinehart’s residence in Highland Park.
Rinehart’s 2017 Ford Explorer, which is a county-owned and issued vehicle, sustained $6,111.06 in damage to the rear of the vehicle.
Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed the vehicle was damaged after it reportedly struck a fire hydrant.
The email exchange obtained showed a member of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office asking another county employee about whether a police report was ever obtained.
“I contacted Highland Park PD and Highwood PD about it. Neither of these agencies had a crash reported involving the blue 2017 Ford Explorer,” the sheriff’s office employee said.
The other county employee, who is in the risk management department, responded by saying, “He didn’t call the police because it was in his yard. So we googled his address and sure enough there’s a fire hydrant basically in his driveway!”
The sheriff’s office employee responded back and said he still believed a police report would be warranted “given the object allegedly struck belongs to another government entity and it needs to be properly assessed for damage.”
Another email exchange involving an insurance claims adjuster said that Rinehart reported the driving conditions at the time of the crash were “worsened by snow and ice.”
Lake County state’s attorney candidate Mary Cole said in a statement that the incident “raises serious concerns about his commitment to upholding the law and adhering to county policies.”
Cole said Rinehart failed to file a crash report or notify the proper authorities within Lake County government, citing Illinois law 625 ILCS 5/11-404 and Lake County’s Risk Management policy.
“Under Illinois law, it is a Class A misdemeanor to not file an accident report when damaging property belonging to others, including units of government such as the City of Highland Park. Additionally, Lake County policy mandates that any vehicle collision requires an immediate call to 911 to complete a police report, notify the County Administrator, and provide immediate documentation of the damage through photographs. Eric Rinehart neglected to fulfill all of his obligations,” Cole said.
According to Section 404 of the traffic code, “The driver of any vehicle which collides with or is involved in a motor vehicle crash with any vehicle which is unattended, or other property, resulting in any damage to such other vehicle or property shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of such vehicle or other property of the driver’s name, address, registration number and owner of the vehicle the driver was operating or shall attach securely in a conspicuous place on or in the vehicle or other property struck a written notice giving the driver’s name, address, registration number and owner of the vehicle the driver was driving and shall without unnecessary delay notify the nearest office of a duly authorized police authority and shall make a written report of such crash when and as required in Section 11-406.”
“Any person failing to comply with this Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor,” the statute adds.
“Eric Rinehart is failing to enforce our laws in Lake County, which makes our residents and visitors less safe, and adding insult to injury, he is not even following the laws he is supposed to enforce. This incident underscores the need for accountable leadership in the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. Mr. Rinehart should immediately go to the City of Highland Park and file a police report as well as explain why for over six months he failed to follow Illinois law,” Cole said.
Rinehart confirmed in a statement to Lake and McHenry County Scanner that he was reversing the vehicle in the driveway of his home when he struck the hydrant.
He said the hydrant is on his front lawn within a pocket of the driveway.
Rinehart said the fire hydrant was not damaged but the car had cosmetic damage, including the bumper and the door area above the bumper.
“Because the hydrant wasn’t damaged, a verbal notification to the Highland Park Police Department was not required under Section 404 of the traffic code. And certainly, no accident report was required for the same reason or under any current law,” Rinehart said.
“Outside of debating this part of the traffic code, I look forward to discussing my team’s accomplishments and debating any provision of law with my opponent,” he added.
Rinehart said the county’s estimate and repair process on the vehicle occurred between February and June and that he “repeatedly tried to personally pay for the damage to the vehicle because it was on my property.”