States Attorney
WHEATON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO THREE DUI FATALITIES
WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Joseph E. Birkett announced today that Shelley Dogra, 26 (d.o.b. 12/5/79), of 26W215 Prairie Avenue, Wheaton entered a blind plea of guilty to Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Resulting in the Death of Another, a Class 2 Felony, in connection with a May, 2005 fatal car crash that killed three passengers in a vehicle he was driving. Dogra was injured in the accident. The victims who died as a result of the crash are Marell Charan, 27, of Pleasant Hill in Wheaton, Nirav Mehta, 28, of Melrose Court in Urbana, IL, and Esther Rao, 22, of Prairie Avenue in Wheaton.
In an unincorporated area of West Chicago in the early morning hours of May 25, 2005, Dogra, while under the influence of alcohol, lost control of the vehicle he was driving. The vehicle careened off the road and struck several trees. The crash went un-reported until approximately 5:30 a.m. when a passing jogger called 911. It is believed the crash may have occurred as early as 2:30 a.m. when neighbors in the surrounding area heard a loud noise.
“This terrible tragedy should never have happened,” remarked Birkett. “Drunk driving crashes are not accidents. They are the result of irresponsible people who push their luck by getting behind the wheel after they have been drinking. Because of his irresponsible actions, Mr. Dogra not only faces a lengthy prison term, but he must also come to grips with the fact that he is responsible for the death of two family members and a friend.”
Dogra is scheduled to be sentenced December 27, 2006 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge George Bakalis. He faces penalties ranging from probation to 28 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
