Wrong-way driver charged in Libertyville crash

Charges were leveled against a man who Libertyville police say caused a two-car crash by driving in the wrong lane on Route 176 early Tuesday morning.

Steven DeJesus, 19, of Mundelein, was charged with improper lane usage, driving in the wrong lane, driving with a suspended license and having an uninsured motor vehicle in connection with the 6:30 a.m. incident, authorities said.

Libertyville police Sgt. Edward Mohn said DeJesus and the driver of the other vehicle, 39-year-old Ines Ramirez of Chicago, were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment of minor injuries.

Mohn said DeJesus was driving a 1995 Chevrolet coupe east on Route 176 when he veered into the westbound lane and struck Ramirez's 1999 Toyota near Libertyville High School.

DeJesus' car rolled on its roof after impact, with both vehicles winding up on eastbound Route 176, Mohn said. Despite DeJesus' Chevy landing on its roof, he said, rescue personnel didn't have to extricate him from the vehicle.

Mohn said the collision caused Route 176 to be shut for about an hour from Garfield Avenue on the east to Butterfield Road on the west.