On January 7, 2019, at approximately 9:05PM, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy was running radar in the area of West Guerin Road and O’Plaine Road, Green Oaks. The Sheriff’s Deputy observed a vehicle traveling eastbound on Guerin Road at a very high-rate of speed. The Sheriff’s Deputy received a reading on his radar that the vehicle was traveling 80MPH in a 30MPH zone.
The driver of the vehicle quickly turned northbound onto O’Plaine Road, before the Sheriff’s Deputy was able to initiate a traffic stop. When the Sheriff’s Deputy turned onto O’Plaine Road, he saw the vehicle had crashed into a tree in the 31000 block of O’Plaine Road. The Sheriff’s Deputy approached the vehicle and discovered all of the occupants fled from the car.
Sheriff’s Deputies established a perimeter and requested the assistance of a Waukegan Police Department Canine Team. The Waukegan Canine Team and a Sheriff’s Deputy tracked and located the driver of the vehicle, Gilberto Cuen-Alvarado, 26, of the 3400 block of Ted Avenue, Park City. The Canine also located one of the two passengers, a 24-year-old man of the 3500 block of Elaine Avenue, Park City. Both Cuen-Alvarado and the 24-year-old man were located in a subdivision east of the crash scene. Both were wet and cold, from running into a swamp in an attempt to flee.
An Illinois State Police Trooper located the other passenger, a 24-year-old man of the 800 South Fulton Avenue, Waukegan, in the area of Route 137 and North Reigate Lane, Green Oaks.
Cuen-Alvarado was transported to Highland Park Hospital, due to non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash. The passenger located by the Waukegan K9 Team and Sheriff’s Deputy did not require medical attention. The other passenger located by the Illinois State Police was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center, Libertyville, due to non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash.
Cuen-Alvarado was subsequently charged with:
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Speeding (80MPH in a 30MPH zone)
Operating an Uninsured Vehicle
Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident
Cuen-Alvarado is due in court on February 27, 2019 at 9:00AM in courtroom C-404.
Additional charges are possible for the two passengers who fled from the vehicle following the crash.
Sheriff Idleburg reminds the community all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.