Westmont man fled from police, crashed into home: prosecutors
Ronald Neal
WESTMONT, Ill. - A Westmont man is accused of fleeing from police and crashing into a home in August.
Ronald Neal, 20, was charged with one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding.
At about 12:16 a.m. on Aug. 10, a Westmont police officer allegedly observed a Honda Element pull out of a parking lot near 59th Street without its headlights on.
The officer shined his spotlight on the Honda, which was later determined to be driven by Neal, to alert him that his headlights were not on.
Neal allegedly ignored the officer's signal and continued driving without his headlights on.
At that time, the officer made a U-turn and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
Instead of pulling over, Neal allegedly continued to drive, ran a stop sign, and hit a mailbox and streetlight before crashing into an unoccupied home.
No injuries were reported.
Following an investigation into the crash, a judge issued a $150,000 arrest warrant on Aug. 15 for Neal.
He was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon. A judge released him with conditions.
"This case is a textbook example of what I have been saying all along," Berlin said. "If you hear sirens and see flashing lights behind you, pull over. Not doing so will not only make matters worse, but also puts all those involved as well as innocent people at risk. Mr. Neal’s alleged actions most certainly made matters worse for himself and put the occupants of the home at great risk. While the home sustained substantial damage, we are thankful no one was injured when Mr. Neal allegedly crashed his car into the home."
Neal’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30.