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Driver accused of DUI after abandoning vehicle stuck at Round Lake Park railroad crossing

A Round Lake Park man was charged with DUI and other offenses Sunday about an hour after he had abandoned his running vehicle and left it stuck on railroad tracks at Route 134 and Porter Drive, police said.

Police Chief George Filenko said a motorist behind a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee heading east on Route 134 about 10 p.m. saw the vehicle veer into the westbound lane. The driver, later identified as Amilcar Arrecis-Diaz, 37, of the 200 block of Willow Drive, over compensated and wedged the vehicle on the tracks, Filenko said Tuesday.

"Instead of turning onto Porter, he actually goes onto the tracks. You're trapped," he said.

The motorist behind Arrecis-Diaz called police, who arrived to find the Jeep unoccupied but running. A dispatcher obtained information on the car owner, which was shared with officers looking for the driver.

About 55 minutes later, a resident near Pineview Drive and Clifton Drive a few block from the crossing reported somebody "knocking on doors in the area asking for a ride," Filenko said. Officers in the area stopped a man and one of them called the phone number provided by the dispatcher. The phone in the hand of the man identified as Arrecis-Diaz began ringing and displayed the officer's number, Filenko added.

Rail authorities were notified of the vehicle on the tracks, although no trains had to be stopped as a result, Filenko said.

"Sometimes people are foolish enough to try to drive themselves out of the situation, and that time of night you've got freight trains," he said.

Arrecis-Diaz was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of 0.217, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to Filenko. A court date was set for June 23.

The crossing has been the site of about four accidents since early last year when Francisco Carranza drove in front of a Metra commuter train in a crash that killed him and his 7-year-old daughter. Village officials have asked Metra for the right to put lighting at the pedestrian crossing.

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