PEORIA — State's Attorney Kevin Lyons may pursue additional charges against a part-time Peoria Park District officer who has pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident while driving a squad car.
The fender-bender occurred Dec. 16 in Peoria. Police reports indicate a park district squad car driven by Phillip B. Reed, 45, of Peoria struck the back of a pickup truck driven by Aaron W. Robertson, 23, of Peoria.
What happened immediately afterward was so unusual that even Robertson admits his story sounds implausible.
"I have a hard time even getting my friends to believe me when I tell them about it," Robertson said.
A veteran police officer familiar with the facts also expressed disbelief: "In all my years, I've never heard of anything like this - a civilian chasing a squad car down the road and trying to get him to pull over. It's a strange one."
In the aftermath of the crash, Reed lost his driver's license, but he continues to work for the park district.
The accident took place about 8:25 a.m. Dec. 16.
Robertson was stopped in the turn lane at Main Street, waiting to turn left onto University Street, a police report said. The squad car driven by Reed ran into the back of the pickup, causing the front end of the car to become stuck on the truck's trailer hitch.
Peoria police officer Brett Vonderheide was later told that Reed then began trying to drive off the trailer hitch and, with his siren sounding, drove off. Twice, Robertson tried to get Reed to pull onto a side street, the report said.
Eventually, Robertson said he asked Reed if he was just going to hit him and drive off.
"I hit you or you hit me?" Reed asked, according to Robertson.
Finally, Robertson pulled over near the intersection of University and Nebraska Avenue and called 911, reports said. Robertson stayed to talk to a Peoria officer. Dispatchers called Reed back to the location.
Robertson told Vonderheide he had been rear-ended and had helped untangle the vehicles.
Reed gave disjointed answers as to what happened and acted nervous, which is noted in the police report and is noticeable on audio and video obtained from the Peoria Police Department via the Freedom of Information Act. Reed told Vonderheide he had his lights and siren on and was responding to a call when he tried to go around Robertson's vehicle.
Vonderheide called emergency dispatchers and was told Reed had not been sent on any calls. Reed's accounts of the crash itself and the aftermath varied greatly from Robertson's, but the minor damage to both vehicles appeared more consistent with Robertson's account.
Reed also claimed he was the one who tried to chase down Robertson. Vonderheide asked why he never heard anything about a pursuit over the air. Reed said he was trying to catch up to Robertson and talk to him before calling it in.
Later, after listening to a 911 recording in which Reed denied being in an accident, Peoria police cited Reed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and leaving the scene of an accident.
On Jan. 20, Reed pleaded guilty to leaving the scene. He paid $592 in fines and court fees and received court supervision.
The Illinois Secretary of State's office canceled Reed's license on Dec. 23, said Beth Kaufman of the Secretary of State's press office. On Feb. 9, the state office's Illinois Medical Advisory Board upheld the decision, Kaufman confirmed.
Because of privacy laws, the Secretary of State's office can only confirm the license was canceled because of medical reasons. Reed can submit paperwork to seek reinstatement in six months.
At the scene, Reed admitted to taking medication to prevent seizures, but he denied having a seizure that day.
On March 8, 2000, Reed caused a series of accidents on University Street, police reports indicate. Reed told police he had suffered a seizure and didn't remember much. He was driving his own pickup truck during those crashes, the reports said.
It was unclear if Reed's license was canceled at that time. He received multiple traffic tickets and was sent to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center for treatment.
Lyons didn't learn specifics of the December incident until after the plea was accepted. The prosecutor said had he realized Reed's actions took place while serving in a law enforcement capacity, he would have sought more serious charges.
Shalesse Pie, the park district's superintendent of human resources, said Reed has worked as a part-time fiscal security officer since June 1984. On the day of the wreck, he was performing rounds in which money is taken from park facilities and deposited at a bank.
More recently, Reed - apparently because he is unable to drive - only has worked as a security officer at park facilities, Pie said.
Reed is not a commissioned police officer and does not have the authority to make arrests, Pie said. He does carry a gun, and has regularly driven a marked squad car equipped with lights and a siren.
Although the accident caused relatively minor damage to the vehicles and no one was hurt, the incident has attracted attention from Lyons because a hit-and-run was committed by someone charged with upholding the law.
"It is unnerving if this uniformed person is an unsworn employee yet given a gun, badge, marked squad car, lights and siren and is cloaked as a police officer, and he commits a very UNpolice officer act of fleeing the scene of collision damage he caused," Lyons said in an e-mail.
Pie and Superintendent of Parks Mike Baietto both confirmed Reed continues to work for the park district but declined to specify what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken.
"I agree it's a very unusual situation," Baietto said. "There were a lot of things about it that were unusual. He's continued to be employed, but I'm not going to discuss with a reporter whether he's been disciplined or what disciplinary actions we may or may not have taken."
Lyons recently spoke with the park district's police chief, Sylvester Bush, and said Reed's punishment was "insignificant enough to prompt a greater interest by me in considering additional charges. To avoid this, we have encouraged the chief to revisit his 'discipline,' if any, so far imposed."
Bush, who was called to the scene after the December crash, is out of town for training and did not return Journal Star messages left at work in recent days. Reed also could not be reached for comment.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x841517670/Hit-and-run-officer-may-faces-more-charges
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