JOLIET, IL — Joliet resident Timothy Waldvogel is marking his 36th birthday on Thursday by facing a warrant for his arrest in connection with an April crash on Interstate that ended the life of a well-known local 911 emergency dispatcher at WESCOM.
The Will County State's Attorney's Office just charged Waldvogel with two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated drunken driving in Melissa Prosser's death on April 5. The Illinois State Police conducted the traffic fatality investigation.
According to the complaint, Waldvogel faces three to 14 years in prison if convicted of the aggravated driving under the influence offense. He was driving a Dodge Challenger on I-55 near mile post 246.5 at the time of the crash that killed Prosser, 26. Prosecutors allege the alcohol concentration in his blood, other bodily substance or breath was higher than 0.08.
The reckless homicide charges alleges Waldvogel driving 20 mph over the posted speed limit of 65 mph, when he "crashed into the vehicle driven by Melissa Prosser, thereby causing the death of Melissa Prosser."
Authorities previously said Prosser died about an hour after the crash at St. Joseph Medical Center.
Wednesday's warrant for Waldvogel's arrest was signed by Will County Judge Art Smigielski, who ordered the Joliet man "to be released on his own recognizance" rather than be taken into custody at the Will County jail. The judge's order states "no consumption of alcohol."
The arrest warrant indicates that Waldvogel is white, 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes and that he is employed as a union worker-various. Illinois State Police special agent David Damron obtained the warrant.
On April 6, Joliet Patch reported that the 26-year-old woman killed on a Sunday morning in an interstate crash in Channahon was an emergency dispatcher for the area.
Melissa "Missi" Prosser of Bourbonnais completed her training to become a WESCOM dispatcher in November, according to the agency.
"Missi was a wonderful person who displayed a passion for helping others, and quickly became a valued member of the WESCOM family," the agency said in a Facebook post.
Before becoming an emergency dispatcher, Prosser worked as an emergency medical technician for Riverside Hospital and Elite Ambulance, according to her obituary.
She loved her dogs, and enjoyed cooking, exercise, music and studying the Bible, her obituary said. She is survived by her parents, two brothers and her three dogs.
"Rest easy, Missi; we have the watch from here," WESCOM said in the Facebook post.
Waldvogel already has a number of cases on file at the Will County Courthouse involving driving at dangerous speeds and consuming alcohol while behind the wheel of his vehicle.
On Sept. 27, 2025, Channahon police pulled him over at the northbound west frontage road at Summit Road for speeding more than 35 mph over the posted speed limit. It happened at 2:11 a.m., and Waldvogel was driving 90 mph in a 45-mph zone, the court files show. In the end, he pleaded guilty, and under his plea bargain, his traffic citation was reduced to speeding 21 to 25 mph over the speed limit.
On Oct. 15, 2023, Channahon police arrested him for a drunken driving incident. Waldvogel's blood alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit, at 0.168. That arrest took place at northbound West Edwin Court and West Summit Road, and Waldvogel was driving a purple, brand new 2023 Dodge Challenger, court files show.
Court files indicate that the Joliet reckless homicide defendant comes from the 500 block of Meadow Wood Drive.
"Observed bloodshot glossy eyes, odor of alcoholic beverage on breath, admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages, slurred thick-tongued speech," Officer Price put in the reports.
As a result of his guilty plea to the 2023 DUI, Waldvogel received about $2,700 in court fines and fees and 12 months of court supervision and he was ordered to complete Level 3 counseling and aftercare.
Then, just last month, Waldvogel was nabbed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources conservation police with a violation for unlawful operation of unnumbered watercraft along the Kankakee River at the Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, court files indicate. His watercraft was a 1999 Formula, and court documents indicate he violated the boat registration and safety act.
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