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Police: Elgin man high on pot in crash that injured two

A 22-year-old man was high on marijuana and driving without a license when the car he was driving rear-ended a truck Saturday night, injuring his two passengers, according to Elgin police and Kane County court records.

Brandon S. Harding, of the 300 block of Marguerite Street, Elgin, faces felony charges of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm and aggravated DUI/no driver's license after the crash just after 11 p.m. on the 100 block of South Edison Avenue on the city's near west side, according to police and court records.

Officers responded to a crash involving a 1999 beige Nissan Altima and a GMC C7000 and found Harding and two female passengers near the Altima, which had heavy front-end damage, according to a police report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The two women had severe lacerations on their foreheads, and Harding, who was not injured, had slurred speech and was "stumbling and staggering," according to the report. Harding smelled of alcohol and marijuana, but a preliminary breath test showed he had no alcohol in his system, the report said.

However, Harding showed impairment in field sobriety tests and the officer, who was a certified drug recognition expert, placed Harding under arrest for DUI-drugs, the report said.

Each female passenger received staples and stitches at a Presence St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin, the report said.

According to court records, Harding was arrested and charged with driving while license suspended after a traffic stop at 11:46 a.m. Dec. 17, 2018, in East Dundee. He failed to appear in court in January 2019 and was arrested in June 2019 on a warrant. He is due in court Dec. 12 on that case.

Harding has posted 10% of his $40,000 bail and is next due in court Wednesday on the DUI case.

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