A Vernon Hills woman was granted pre-trial release after she and a second suspect were charged with fatally running over a 17-year-old boy riding his bicycle in Waukegan and fleeing the scene.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 12:45 a.m. on November 10 to the area of Belvidere Road and Fulton Avenue for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Emergency crews arrived to find a male victim who had been struck by two vehicles.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said Jorge Carmona, 17, of Waukegan, was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
The Waukegan Police Department Major Crash Unit was on the scene for several hours investigating the hit-and-run, which left the boy deceased in the middle of Belvidere Road.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said that the investigation showed Carmona, who was a student, was riding a bicycle in the westbound lanes of traffic.
Carmona was struck by a vehicle and then while lying in the roadway, was struck by a second vehicle. Both vehicles fled the scene.
Last week, Monica A. Valladolid, 44, of Vernon Hills, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving injury or death, a Class 4 felony.
A second suspect, Jose U. Ramirez, 34, of Waukegan, was charged with reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony, and leaving the scene of a crash involving injury or death, a Class 4 felony.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said video surveillance showed a truck, driven by Ramirez, traveling on northbound Fulton Avenue from a bar.
Ramirez disregarded a stop at the intersection with Belvidere Road and struck Carmona before fully running him over, Theis said.
The truck carried the victim’s bicyclist for a block as it fled the scene.
Video surveillance showed that Valladolid, who was traveling westbound in her car through the intersection, ran over Carmona moments later as he visibly lay in the roadway, Theis said.
She did not stop and fled the scene, Theis said.
Valladolid and her passenger were interviewed and they acknowledged running over “something.”
The undercarriage of the woman’s car was covered in blood, Theis said.
Theis said Valladolid did not provide any assistance to the victim and left him to die in the middle of the road.
Luis Albarran, who is representing Valladolid, said his client did not realize she struck a person and thought it was a pothole. He said the incident occurred on a rainy night while it was dark.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Valladolid pending trial.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim denied the petition during a detention hearing on Monday afternoon.
Nerheim said that Valladolid’s lack of criminal history and her age led him to believe she could be released from custody pending trial and comply with pre-trial conditions.
Valladolid, who turned herself in after a warrant was issued for her, was placed on Level 3 pre-trial release with a curfew at the discretion of pre-trial services. She was also ordered not to drive without a valid driver’s license.
Ramirez has not appeared in Lake County Circuit Court yet. He was arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Friday and remains held in the county’s jail pending extradition to Illinois.
Valladolid is scheduled to appear in court again on December 18 for a status of preliminary hearing.