Coroner: Waukegan cop's blood-alcohol was 0.282 in fatal crash

WAUKEGAN - The Lake County coroner's office says a Waukegan police officer killed in a crash last weekend had a blood-alcohol level more than 3½ times the legal limit.

Deputy Chief Coroner Orlando Portillo says 27-year-old Jason Mueller had a blood-alcohol level of 0.282 after the single-car crash about 2:30 a.m. July 12.

The (Waukegan) News-Sun reports Friday that the Grayslake resident was ejected from his sport utility vehicle after striking a utility pole off a roadway. He was buried Friday.

The coroner's office says Mueller died of head trauma.

The first-year officer was off duty at the time.

Before joining the Waukegan police, Mueller was a U.S. Army Ranger from 2006 to 2012. He served two combat tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.