Following a thorough investigation, on September 20, 2019, Lake County Sheriff’s Crash Investigators met with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to review the facts of this crash.  Crash Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for the driver of the 2007 Chrysler Sebring.  The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Approved the following charges for Yajaira Gallaga, 20, of the 38200 block of North Sheridan Road, Beach Park:

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (Class A Misdemeanor)

Alcohol Concentration in the Blood or Urine 0.08 or More (Class A Misdemeanor)

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (Class A Misdemeanor)

Driving Under the Combined Influence of Alcohol and Drugs (Class A Misdemeanor)

Any Amount of a Drug, Substance, or Compound in the Blood or Urine (Class A Misdemeanor)

Gallaga was arrested at her residence without incident on September 30, 2019.

A Lake County Judge set bond on the warrant in the amount of $25,000.00.  Gallaga currently remains held in the Lake County Jail pending an initial court appearance this morning.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Beach Park Car Versus Home Crash Investigation 

(issued December 29, 2018 at 9:15AM)

On December 29, 2018 at approximately 1:00AM Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 10000 block of West Yorkhouse Road, Beach Park, for a traffic crash with injuries.  Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and located a car versus home traffic crash with major damage.

Preliminary investigation shows a 2007 Chrysler Sebring, driven by a 19-year-old female of Waukegan, was traveling eastbound on Yorkhouse Road in the area of Geraghty Street.  For an unknown reason, the driver of Chrysler left the roadway and crashed into an unoccupied home, causing extensive damage.  The home was deemed uninhabitable due to the damage caused by the crash.  The driver was able to walk away from the car and go to a nearby home to ask for assistance.  She was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  She was the only occupant in the vehicle at the time of the crash.  Alcohol does appear to be a factor in the crash. 

Sheriff John Idleburg reminds the community, “Alcohol and operating a vehicle don’t mix.  If you’ve been drinking, don’t risk getting behind the wheel.  Find an alternative method to get to where you’re going – it’s simply not worth risking your life and the lives of others.”

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.