DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury announced today that Judge Joshua Dieden has denied the State’s motion to detain pre-trial a West Chicago man accused of fatally striking a pedestrian with his car early yesterday morning. James Vaughn, 43 (d.o.b. 9/25/1980) of the 600 block of West Forest Avenue, appeared in First Appearance Court this morning charged with two counts of Aggravated DUI Causing Death, a Class 2 Felony.
On April 15, 2024, at approximately 2:36 a.m., officers with the West Chicago Police Department responded to the area of Roosevelt Road and Pearl Road for a report of a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. Upon their arrival, officers found the victim, Miguel Duran, 36, lying face down in the roadway. He was not breathing and was bleeding from the head. Duran was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Following an investigation into the matter, it is alleged that Vaughn was traveling westbound on Roosevelt Road in his 2011 Jeep Liberty. It is further alleged that when Duran started to cross Roosevelt Road, Vaughn hit him with his vehicle. When Vaughn was speaking with officers at the scene, officers allegedly detected an odor of alcohol as well as glassy and blood shot eyes. It is alleged that at the time of the crash Vaughn’s BAC was 0.11. When searching Vaughn’s vehicle, officers found a can of Monaco, a canned alcoholic cocktail, behind the front passenger seat of the vehicle.
“Like all alleged DUI cases, the case against Mr. Vaughn was 100% avoidable,” Berlin said. “I offer my sincerest condolences to Miguel Duran’s family and friends as they grieve their loss and wish them strength as they adjust to their lives without Miguel’s love and friendship. As I have said countless times in the past, if you have been drinking, do not drive. With ride-sharing services available with just the touch of a finger at any time day or night, there is absolutely no reason to drive after you have been drinking, yet people still continue to get behind the wheel when they know full well, they should not. Please, do yourself a favor and call a cab or use a ride-sharing service if you have been drinking. I thank the West Chicago Police Department, the West Chicago Fire Department and DuPage County MERIT Major Crash Investigation Team for their work in this tragic case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Bethany Jackson and Michael Paup for their efforts on this case.”
“This is a senseless tragedy on many levels and is the reason why the City of West Chicago continues to make a concentrated effort to remove impaired drivers from our roadways,” Fleury said. “In the blink of an eye, the lives of all parties involved in a fatal drunk driving accident are forever changed by the decision to get behind the wheel while impaired. I thank DuPage County MERIT Major Crash Investigation Team for their assistance as well as DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for their legal guidance.”
Vaughn’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 13, 2024, for arraignment in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell.
Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
