Evanston Man Charged In Deadly Hit-And-Run Remains Jailed

WAUKEGAN, IL — An Evanston man accused of fatally striking a pedestrian and driving away on New Year's Day remains behind bars after a Lake County judge denied a motion to reduce his bail Thursday. According to the Lake County News-Sun, Circuit Judge Patricia Fix rejected a request to lower the required cash portion of the bond in the deadly hit-and-run from $5,000 to $1,000 after prosecutors argued the motorist had been "almost inhumane" after the crash.

Maurice R. Pettigrew, 42, has been detained at the Lake County Jail since his Jan. 1 arrest in Waukegan. His bail was initially set at $100,000 and has since been reduced to $50,000, with a requirement that 10% be posted in cash. Pettigrew has been charged with one count of failure to report an accident causing death and one count of failure to give aid or information. He was also issued a citation for driving without a valid license. Following his indictment, he pleaded not guilty on Feb. 22.

According to Waukegan police, around 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 1 officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of North Lewis Avenue, where a woman had just been struck by a minivan as she crossed the road in the middle of a block. The minivan then fled the scene. Witnesses provided a license plate to police, who pulled over a silver Chrysler Town & Country within minutes of the crash around Williamsburg Drive and Georgetown Lane and arrested Pettigrew, police said.

Felicita Alcaide, 51, of Waukegan, was pronounced dead after the crash, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office. She was described as a loving mother of three by a GoFundMe page begun by her family to help cover funeral expenses.

Pettigrew's public defender said Alcaide had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.392 at the time of her death and noted that she was outside a crosswalk when she was struck., the News-Sun reported. Arguing for a reduced bond that would allow for his client's pre-trial release, the defense attorney said Pettigrew had work lined up, would be able to post $1,000 as a cash portion of his bail and was not a threat to the community.

But prosecutors argued against any bail reduction at an April 18 pre-trial hearing, telling the judge that Pettigrew drove away after first getting out of his car and looking at the woman they said he had just run over, according to the News-Sun. The judge declined to reduce his bail.

Alcaide was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the collision, with blunt force trauma from being hit by a car indicated as the cause of death from autopsy results.

Pettigrew could be sentenced to a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge he currently faces. A preliminary trial date has been set for May 6, according to court records.

Earlier: Evanston Man Charged With Fatal Hit-And-Run In Waukegan