Wheeling teen gets 180 days in jail for fatal accident
A Wheeling teenager involved in a fatal automobile accident last December has pleaded guilty to reckless driving, court records show.
In exchange for her guilty plea to the misdemeanor, 19-year-old Melissa Salgado was sentenced to 180 days in Cook County Jail and two years of probation. Additionally, Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta ordered Salgado to perform 240 hours of community service and pay $284 in fines, records show.
At about 6:16 p.m. Dec. 18, Salgado - who had no criminal background - struck an 86-year-old man who was walking in the middle of the street in the 200 block of Reef Court, prosecutors said.
A Breathalyzer test registered Salgado's blood alcohol content as zero, although a very small level of marijuana was found in subsequent testing, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber.
"The victim's family and law enforcement felt this was the proper disposition in light of the surrounding circumstances," Gerber said.