Police say a driver, who was nearly four times the legal drinking limit, was taken into custody after he crashed into a stopped car in Richmond and fled the scene, ending in a multi-police agency traffic stop in Johnsburg.
The Richmond Police Department said they arrested a man on multiple traffic and criminal charges, with assistance from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Johnsburg Police Department, following a hit-and-run crash that originated in Richmond and concluded several miles south on the evening of April 13.
Officers received a call around 6:35 p.m. for a report of a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of Liberty Street and Main Street in Richmond, according to Richmond Police Department Sgt. Jennifer Fillicaro.
A witness reported that a white Lincoln Continental struck an orange Subaru Crosstrek from behind at a traffic signal and then fled the scene southbound on Route 31.
Fillicaro said the witness, along with two additional 911 callers, contacted McHenry County 911 dispatch to report the vehicle.
They described it as swerving, traveling at inconsistent speeds and driving erratically.
Richmond officers coordinated with McHenry County 911 dispatch to request a “stop and hold” and notified neighboring police jurisdictions.
A deputy from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office located and stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Route 31 and Running Brook Farm Boulevard in Johnsburg, Fillicaro said.
Police radio traffic indicated the driver did not immediately stop when the traffic stop was initiated.
Numerous police officers from multiple agencies responded.
The driver was identified as Austin C. Boothe, 32, of South Elgin.
Fillicaro said officers made contact with Boothe and observed visible signs of impairment.
A preliminary breath test yielded a result of 0.314 blood alcohol content, which is nearly four times the legal limit of .08.
Standardized field sobriety testing was also administered and Boothe made “spontaneous statements” acknowledging both intoxication and cannabis use, Fillicaro said.
Boothe was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.
He was transported to the Richmond Police Department, processed and released with citations and a notice to appear, Fillicaro said.
Boothe was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to notify after a crash, illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver, improper possession of cannabis by a driver, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a vehicle crash and following too closely.