Driver had been drinking before fatally striking 2-year-old girl
A South Side man allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of more than three times the legal limit when he drove through a stop sign and fatally struck a 2-year-old girl walking with her great grandmother to an Englewood daycare center Friday morning.
Prosecutors said Kellen E. Bledsoe had a blood-alcohol content of .252 and admitted to drinking before the crash that killed Jamya Love, authorities said. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.
On Sunday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered Bledsoe held on $500,000 bond.
Bledsoe is accused of speeding north on Morgan Street in a gray 1999 Chrysler Concord when he disobeyed a stop sign at 57th Street about 6:25 a.m. Friday and struck 2-year-old Jamya, who was holding her great-grandmother’s hand with her 1-year-old brother in a stroller, according to court documents. The three were crossing the street.
The impact caused the great-grandmother to let go of Jamya’s hand, prosecutors said.
Paramedics took Jamya, of the 5700 block of South Peoria Street, to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, where she died a short time later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which ruled the death an accident.
Bledsoe did not stop until the Chrysler could no longer be driven after crashing into two parked vehicles a short distance away, prosecutors said. He then got out of the car and ran away.
The infant in the stroller and Jamya’s great-grandmother were not injured, but police said the 57-year-old woman was “emotionally distraught.”
Officers found Bledsoe about two blocks away trying to get into a residence – near his home – in the 5300 block of South Aberdeen, according to court documents. He was arrested after an “unsteady” gate caused him to fall from the front porch stairs.
Officers smelled the strong odor of alcohol on his breath and noticed his red, bloodshot eyes when taking him into custody, according to court documents. He admitted to drinking alcohol prior to being involved in the crash.
Bledsoe, 27, of the 5700 block of South Aberdeen, was charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI, police said. He was also charged with driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance and issued several citations.
In August, he was arrested on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon – in this case a rifle, prosecutors said.
If you have been arrested for a Criminal Offense the Law Offices of Daniel R. Perlman can help. Please contact a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney today to have your case reviewed.
Source: suntimes.com “Driver had been drinking before fatally striking 2-year-old girl,” September 25, 2013.
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