A judge denied pre-trial release to a motorcycle driver accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that left his female passenger with critical, life-threatening injuries near Antioch Saturday.
Gregory Shaer, 51, of Lake Villa, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence resulting in great bodily harm, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving in the wrong lane of traffic.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Antioch Fire Department responded around 8:30 p.m. Saturday to Route 59 north of Diemer Street in unincorporated Antioch for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Responding rescue crews were informed that a motorcycle had crashed and one person was on the ground, so crews requested a medical helicopter to be put on standby.
Sheriff’s deputies and rescue personnel arrived and found a 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle involved in the crash and a 43-year-old Antioch woman unconscious in the roadway, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said.
Bystanders, including an off-duty paramedic, were rendering aid to the motorcyclist and assisted fire crews, Antioch Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Taylor said.
Due to the severity of the motorcyclist’s injuries, a Flight For Life medical helicopter based out of Burlington, Wisconsin was requested to the scene.
Fire crews set up a landing zone near Route 59 and Grass Lake Road, Taylor said.
The woman – who Covelli said was the passenger of the motorcycle – had life-threatening injuries and was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical condition.
Shaer was driving the motorcycle, Covelli said. He suffered only minor injuries.
Shaer initially told deputies that he was traveling southbound on Route 59 and swerved to avoid hitting a vehicle that turned in front of him, which caused him to lose control of the motorcycle.
Sheriff’s deputies later located a 33-year-old Antioch woman who said she was traveling northbound on Route 59 in her GMC Acadia when she was sideswiped by the southbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
“The driver of the GMC said Shaer swerved into her lane of traffic and sideswiped her vehicle. Evidence was located at the scene consistent with the statement from the driver of the GMC,” Covelli said.
Shaer, who was standing at the scene, allegedly showed signs of alcohol impairment.
He was arrested but refused to provide a breath, blood or urine sample for analysis, Covelli said.
A search warrant was drafted for the samples and a judge signed and approved the search warrant.
Shaer was transported to a local hospital where the samples were obtained and sent to a crime laboratory for analysis, Covelli said. Those toxicology results are still pending.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said that deputies smelled a strong odor of alcohol from Shaer’s breath.
Shaer admitted to drinking four beers prior to driving his motorcycle and exhibited signs of intoxication while performing field sobriety tests, Theis said.
The woman was intubated at the hospital and has a brain bleed, punctured lung and broken collarbone, Theis said.
Shaer has a slew of prior traffic cases in Lake County, court records show. He also has prior DUI cases in Lake County in 1996 and 2000.
Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Shaer pending trial under the SAFE-T Act.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted the petition during a detention hearing Tuesday afternoon and remanded Shaer to the Lake County Jail.
The judge said it is a possibility the case could turn into a reckless homicide due to the victim’s condition, but “hopefully that’s not the case.”
“It doesn’t sound like she’s doing very well,” Potkonjak added.
Joseph D. Zeit, an attorney representing Shaer, argued during the hearing that his client had just been involved in a motor vehicle crash when the field sobriety testing was performed at the scene and that the validity of the tests would be questioned at future court hearings.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 26.