Coroner: Naperville drowning victim who drove car into pond was drunk

A Naperville man was legally drunk when he drove his car into a golf course pond and drowned, officials said Wednesday.

Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil confirmed toxicology tests determined James E. Daw had a blood-alcohol level of .252 when the 55-year-old died in the accident last fall. The legal threshold for driving in Illinois is .08.

Authorities have said Daw's car was underwater for as many as 10 hours before it was discovered about noon Nov. 5 in a pond near the 11th hole at Taramack Golf Club, 24032 Royal Worlington Drive.

O'Neil said the death in unincorporated Wheatland Township, near far southern Naperville, was ruled an accidental drowning.

Daw, who lived near the golf club, was a married father of two with two grandchildren, according to an obituary.