St. Charles police officer ticketed for crashing borrowed squad car

A St. Charles police officer faces disciplinary action after he was ticketed in a three-car crash while on duty, officials said.

Officer Stephen Heike, 38, was cited for improper lane use April 2 after swerving into oncoming traffic and striking a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which was then rear-ended by a third car, according to a report taken by the Illinois State Police.

Both the officer and the Cutlass driver, a 17-year-old Glendale Heights woman, were taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva with minor injuries, the report said.

The accident happened on East Main Street, just east of 13th Avenue, as Heike was conducting speed enforcement from a private drive on the south side of the street. As the officer turned into eastbound lanes to pull over a speeding vehicle, he lost control of his squad car and went into westbound lanes, according to the police report.

St. Charles Police Chief Jim Lamkin confirmed Tuesday that the officer will be disciplined in accordance with department policy, but he would not elaborate on what that might involve. The chief said he took the matter "very seriously."

"We hope the other driver recovers OK and she's doing all right. That's the most important piece about this," Lamkin said. "We took this very seriously. We need to operate vehicles with the same caution and care (as police expect from other motorists)."

Lamkin said the crashed squad car was a marked, police-equipped 2008 Dodge Charger the department had on loan from a local dealership. He said police were borrowing the vehicle for several days to see whether the department would be interested in buying one.

There was no official damage estimate, but all three vehicles were towed from the scene, according to the police report. Lamkin said the city is working with insurance adjusters to address any liability claims.

Heike, through a police department spokesman, chose not to comment.