Schaumburg village president pleads guilty to leaving accident scene
Schaumburg Village President Al Larson pleaded guilty Friday to the misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident and the petty offense of improper lane usage in a collision last February.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Cook County Judge Ellen Mandletort sentenced the longtime mayor to one year of supervision expiring Aug. 5, 2018. She also ordered Larson to perform 40 hours of community service and pay $200 in fines.
Larson, 78, expressed his remorse.
"I regret what took place and I take full responsibility. ... I meant no harm," said Larson who has served as Schaumburg's mayor since 1987.
Larson was turning from northbound Pleasant Drive onto westbound Schaumburg Road about 6:40 p.m. Feb. 23 when he struck an eastbound vehicle driven by a 42-year-old Schaumburg woman, police said.
No injuries resulted and both cars were drivable, authorities said.
Larson told police he drove west after the collision and pulled into the post office parking lot to await the other driver. When she didn't appear, he drove home. Police arrived at his door several minutes later and took him to the police station, authorities said.
Larson told police he had a glass of wine at dinner before the crash. A breath test registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.048, below the legal limit of 0.08.
Larson received a ticket for improper lane use from Hoffman Estates police after a February 2003 collision. He pleaded guilty and paid a $75 fine and the cost of repairing the other driver's car. In October 2000, he backed into a woman's car in the parking lot of what is now the Schaumburg Boomers Stadium, causing $240 in damage. He told police he did not know he had hit the car.