Driver faces DUI, other charges after crashing into squad car

A speeding driver smashed into a Waukegan police sergeant's squad car early Sunday morning and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, authorities said.

Alisha Smith, 35, of the 3500 block of Willow Lane, Zion, was traveling at 63 mph in a 35 mph zone on Lewis Avenue near Laurel Avenue in Waukegan at about 2:20 a.m., according to a Lake County sheriff's deputy who spotted her vehicle.

Smith is charged with criminal damage to government-supported property, a Class 3 felony, as well as: DUI, driving with a suspended driver's license, unlawful use of a driver's license, illegal transportation of alcohol, speeding and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

Smith, who "appeared heavily intoxicated," refused treatment at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan and was taken to Lake County jail, police said. She was released on a $30,000 recognizance bond following a Lake County circuit court hearing Sunday.

The Waukegan sergeant "is doing well, he was treated and released from the hospital last night," Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.

The sheriff's deputy did a U-turn to try and initiate a traffic stop after seeing Smith's Chevrolet Cruze zoom by northbound on Lewis Avenue. Then, her car hit the rear of the Waukegan squad, which had stopped on Lewis near Ballentine Street.

Police said Smith kept going but the Chevrolet broke down shortly after the crash. Her next court date is Oct. 14.