DuPage judge charged with reckless driving

A well-known DuPage County judge is facing various traffic violations on suspicion he fled after striking a parked car in Glen Ellyn, prosecutors said Friday.

Circuit Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy is charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, failure to give information after striking an unattended motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Prosecutors said the 59-year-old Wheaton man hit an unoccupied car parked on Ridgewood Avenue about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Afterward, Popejoy is accused of driving to his Wheaton home without stopping to report the accident.

Acting on witness information, police from Glen Ellyn and Wheaton went to the judge's home and issued him local ordinance citations. DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett took over the prosecution after being informed of the incident two days later, his office said in a news release.

Popejoy could not be reached for comment Friday.

His legal career spans more than three decades.

Before becoming a judge, Popejoy worked for 20 years as a private attorney handling various commercial and civil law cases. He also is a former Glen Ellyn village prosecutor. Popejoy ascended to the bench as an associate judge in 1998. In the March 2004 GOP primary, he beat three fellow DuPage County judges and a veteran trial lawyer to win his current circuit seat.

Popejoy, who consistently garners high ratings in bar polls, has presided in a variety of high-profile cases involving O'Hare Airport, school districts, ballot challenges and wrongful deaths,

He also has a storied past in the running community, which in 2006 inducted him into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. A state and Big Ten champion through high school and college, Popejoy went on to be ranked ninth in the world in the 1,500-meter run in 1975. The former North Central College volunteer cross country and track coach also co-trained three-time U.S. Olympian Jim Spivey, who grew up in DuPage County.