A South Holland police officer has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence in connection with a fatal crash early Monday in DeKalb.
Police said that James Corralejo, 25, who was off-duty at the time, was involved in a two-vehicle crash at about 1 a.m. at 1200 S. 7th Street.
Corralejo, who lives in DeKalb, was determined to have been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, according to police, who conducted field sobriety tests.
He was driving south on 7th Street when he struck another vehicle that had four occupants. One of the passengers, a 59-year-old DeKalb woman, was later pronounced dead at a Rockford hospital.
Corralejo has been placed on administrative leave, according to South Holland. He has been with the department for two years and eight months, according to the village.
In a statement, the South Holland Police Department said it has been in communication with DeKalb police as they conduct their investigation, and that South Holland is also conducting an internal investigation.
“The Village of South Holland expects all employees to hold themselves to a high standard of conduct, even when they are off-duty. The circumstances of this incident appear to fall far short of that, hence an internal investigation is also underway,” the village said.
Corralejo was released following an initial court appearance Monday, and was denied a request to be represented by a public defender, court records show. He is also required to be on continuous monitoring for alcohol intake.
mnolan@tribpub.com