The controversial case of a Chicago police officer involved in a fatal crash on Thanksgiving became an issue in the Cook County state's attorney race Tuesday after Republican candidate Tony Peraica accused his rival of being part of the initial decision to seek lesser charges.
But Democrat Anita Alvarez quickly rebuffed the claim, saying she started her leave of absence from the office more than a month before the crash and wasn't involved in the case. A state's attorney spokesman confirmed that Alvarez hasn't had any official duties with the office since Oct. 15.
Alvarez's campaign suggested Peraica's unfounded accusation is evidence he's not fit to run the county's chief legal office, where decisions are made on when to seek the death penalty, what crimes to prosecute and who gets plea deals.
"He's demonstrated a willingness to mislead and distort the truth," Sally Daly, Alvarez's spokeswoman, said of Peraica. "In an office where decisions involve life and death . . . this does reflect upon his judgment."
Peraica admitted he based his allegation on secondhand information from a "senior member" of the state's attorney's office whom he declined to name.
"Since I wasn't in the room, I can't personally confirm or deny that Ms. Alvarez was there or not, but that's what I was told and I trust the person that informed me," Peraica said.
The flap surfaced during the first public debate between the candidates at the Union League Club of Chicago. Alvarez, a top assistant state's attorney, and Peraica, a county commissioner from Riverside, are vying Nov. 4 to succeed retiring State's Atty. Richard Devine, a Democrat.
At issue is the case of John Ardelean, a Chicago police officer who was charged in November with a misdemeanor count of drunken driving after a crash that killed Miguel Flores, 22 and Erick Lagunas, 21, both of Cicero.
Videotape from the River North nightclub where Ardelean was drinking after work shows him downing three beers and four shots in a little more than two hours. Ardelean declined to take a sobriety or Breathalyzer test until almost eight hours after the crash, when he was ordered to by a superior.
Charges against Ardelean later were upgraded to two felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence, but the case was dismissed in February after a judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence.
Family members of the men who were killed were outraged, and citing new videotaped evidence, the state's attorney's office reopened the case last month.
Peraica said his source claimed Alvarez sat in on a meeting where the decision was made to seek lesser charges against Ardelean. Alvarez said her involvement in the case was limited to meeting with the families of the men who were killed after they contacted her.
No comments:
Post a Comment