DuPage judge fined $500 in Glen Ellyn hit and run

DuPage Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy admitted during a court appearance Tuesday he fled after crashing into a parked car on a Glen Ellyn residential street.

A contrite Popejoy said he panicked after the June 29 accident and "accepts full and complete responsibility for my actions."

"After the traffic accident, in a moment of panic, I drove in an irresponsible manner to my home," he said in a written statement, which marked his first public comment. "The decision to drive home was an error in judgment that was inconsistent with my values and how I have lived my life."

Popejoy pleaded guilty to reckless driving, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. He was ordered to pay $500 in fines and serve a six-month period of conditional discharge, which is a nonreporting form of probation.

The 59-year-old Wheaton man wrote a letter of apology to a 13-year-old jogger who complained she had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck. He also apologized to his family, friends, neighbors, professional colleagues and the general public "that I serve."

"I deeply regret my conduct in this matter and intend to rededicate myself to the principles and values in my life that have brought me so many blessings," he said.

Prosecutors dropped other related traffic charges. Outside court, defense attorney John "Jack" Donahue said the accident might be a result of mechanical problems with the 2003 Jeep Liberty Popejoy was driving. Chrysler has issued a recall in several states, including Illinois, citing lower ball joint problems, after complaints of accidental crashes.

Donahue denied widespread speculation Popejoy was under the influence of alcohol. Minutes before the accident, Popejoy dropped off DuPage Chief Judge Stephen Culliton at his nearby home after the two socialized at a Glen Ellyn restaurant with other attorneys.

Donahue said Popejoy was the designated driver. He said Popejoy has resisted public comment because of the ongoing review by the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, which is empowered with disciplining judges for their conduct. Popejoy and Culliton reported the incident to the JIB.

"He knows he erred in judgment for leaving the scene," Donahue said. "The accident was not caused by any type of negligence."

Donahue continued: "I have spoken with everyone there that night. There's not one person that will say he was under the influence of alcohol or that he drank to excess. It just didn't happen. Not one police officer believed he was intoxicated or impaired. As a matter of fact, there was no alcohol on his breath."

Popejoy admitted hitting a Glen Ellyn college student's unoccupied 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Ridgewood Avenue about 8:30 p.m. June 29. Afterward, Popejoy fled toward his Wheaton home nearly three miles away without reporting the accident. On the way, he narrowly missed striking the jogger and drove through at least one stop sign.

None of the witnesses could identify the driver, police said, but the vehicle description they provided matched Popejoy's Jeep Liberty. Officers from both Wheaton and Glen Ellyn arrived at the judge's doorstep within minutes.

Police did not ask Popejoy to submit to sobriety tests because they said he appeared sober, but they said officers inspected the damaged Jeep in the judge's garage. No one else was home.

Fifteenth District Chief Judge Michael T. Mallon, from downstate Ogle County, presided over the traffic case. Culliton requested the out-of-county judge and, in its order last month, the Illinois Supreme Court determined "public necessity so requires" the downstate assignment to avoid a conflict of interest.

Popejoy's legal career spans more than three decades. He was named an associate judge in 1997, won his full circuit seat in 2004, and faces his first retention vote in November.