Police Officer Accused of DUI in Fatal Wreck

Lockport, Illinois Police Officer, Edward Stapinski is being charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence after a crash that killed a man on the night of December 20th. Stapinski was allegedly driving his Mitsubishi Gallant at speeds of about eighty miles per hour on Highway 55 when he lost control, flipping his vehicle and hitting a Toyota Camry head-on. Mike Wong, the driver of the Camry, was killed in the crash.

Stapinski was taken to a nearby hospital according to reports, where his blood sample showed that his blood alcohol level was .223, which is about three times the legal limit. According to reports, Associate Judge Maureen Feerick said that Stapinski held the public trust as a police officer and that his job should had “given him insight” into the consequences of such actions. Stapinski’s bond was set at $750,000, and he is forbidden from driving, will have to surrender his passport and any firearms in his possession as well as his firearm identification card. If convicted, he is facing three to fourteen years in prison.

The family of 29 year old Mike Wong is devastated, fearing that Stapinski will receive special treatment in court because he’s a police officer. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this case that may have been prevented with a law mandating ignition control devices on all vehicles. It’s becoming a common thing to hear about the police officers who are paid to keep us safe endangering our streets. It’s time for Congress and all of our states to do something about this growing problem.