State judicial board files official complaint against Judge Popejoy
The Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint against DuPage Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy, who admitted last month he fled after crashing into a parked car in Glen Ellyn.
The state board found Popejoy's conduct brought his "judicial office into disrepute" and asked the Illinois Courts Commission to hold a public hearing to determine appropriate discipline. Possible sanctions include censure, unpaid suspension or removal from office.
Popejoy has been a judge since 1997 and is up for retention this November.
The four-page JIB complaint, filed Thursday, also revealed a few new details about the June 29 crash. For example, it took Popejoy about 10 minutes to answer his door despite repeated notifications that police were waiting outside, according to the complaint.
The Wheaton man pleaded guilty Aug. 3 to reckless driving, a misdemeanor. He was ordered to pay $500 in fines and serve a six-month period of conditional discharge, which is a nonreporting form of probation.
Popejoy said Friday he anticipated the JIB complaint and has fully cooperated.
"As I stated before, I regret my actions regarding the incident and am working hard to put the matter behind me and restore any trust the public may have lost in me," he said in a written statement.
At 8:15 p.m. June 29, Popejoy dropped off DuPage Chief Judge Stephen Culliton at his Glen Ellyn home after the two socialized at a nearby restaurant with other attorneys. Popejoy drove west down Ridgewood Avenue when he struck a college student's unoccupied 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on the north side of the street.
Instead of stopping, the judge continued on, drove up on a curb and ran over two plastic garbage cans. His 2003 Jeep Liberty dragged those cans underneath it as he continued west while the front passenger-side tire was nearly off the rim.
Popejoy fled another 2.8 miles to his Wheaton home without reporting the accident. On the way, he narrowly missed striking a 13-year-old female jogger and drove through "a number of different stop signs" while speeding, according to the complaint.
Officers from both Wheaton and Glen Ellyn quickly arrived at the judge's doorstep with their emergency lights flashing, but it took him about 10 minutes to answer, the complaint states.
Police did not ask Popejoy to submit to sobriety tests because they said he appeared sober.
Defense attorney John "Jack" Donahue, who was not out with the group that night, has said Popejoy was the designated driver and was not under the influence of alcohol. Donahue said the crash may have been the result of mechanical difficulties with Popejoy's Jeep.
Popejoy and Culliton reported the incident to the JIB.
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/popejoystatement.pdf">Official complaint</a></li>
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