Beecher Tragedy: Stop Sign Citation Dismissed; Charges Could Follow

UNINCORPORATED BEECHER, IL — A traffic citation for disregarding a stop sign was dismissed Tuesday against the driver of the pickup truck involved in a horrific crash that killed a pregnant Beecher mother and her three young sons. On Thursday, the Will County Sheriff's Office released the driver's name, saying the stop sign violation was dismissed to avoid any potential "double jeopardy" issues in the event that charges are filed. Spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said investigators are looking into driver Sean B. Woulfe's phone records.

The July 24 crash killed 29-year-old Lindsey Schmidt, who was pregnant with her fourth child. One-year-old Kaleb Schmidt was also pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, and brothers Weston, 4, and Owen, 6, succumbed to their injuries in the days that followed. Their deaths have prompted an outpouring of grief from Beecher and the surrounding communities, and funeral services for the young mother and her boys were held Wednesday.

Hoffmeyer last week said Woulfe, 25, went through a stop sign at Corning Road and Yates Avenue, hitting the Schmidt family's Subaru Outback. The force of the crash sent the Outback into a nearby field. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Hoffmeyer said the stop sign citation was dropped to pave the way for potential charges. "If he pleaded guilty to the stop sign violation, that would make it difficult for us to add any additional charges in this incident," Hoffmeyer said.

In social media and blog posts, some community members have expressed outrage at officials, accusing them of protecting the driver of the pickup and demanding that charges be filed. Hoffmeyer said she understands the frustration from the community.

"We understand how emotional this is," she said. "It's been an emotional case for all of us." At the same time, she said the sheriff's office is not willing to rush the investigation. "This is going to take a little time," she said, adding that investigators are still waiting for Woulfe's phone records.

Hoffmeyer said the sheriff's department released Woulfe's name after it was published on local blogs and social media posts. "It's pretty public, we weren't hiding it," she said.

"We wanted to talk to him," Hoffmeyer said, adding that Woulfe has been in the hospital with serious injuries, including broken bones and a severe laceration that required reconstructive surgery.

State's Attorney James Glasgow told the Chicago Tribune that dismissing the stop sign citation was the "right thing to do" to prevent double jeopardy.

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• Third Child Dies After Crash That Killed Pregnant Mom, Toddlers
• 4-Year-Old Dies After Tragic Beecher Crash

The Schmidt family tragedy isn't the first time a fatal crash investigation has taken time to yield criminal charges. In September 2016, a 19-year-old Joliet man was allegedly driving nearly twice the posted speed limit on Larkin Avenue when his car crossed the center line, hitting an elderly couple's vehicle head-on. The crash killed 82-year-old U.S. Navy veteran and local businessman Stewart McCutcheon and injured his 76-year-old wife.

Several traffic citations against driver Dwayne Griffin were dismissed in October 2016. It wasn't until late June of this year, more than nine months after the crash, that felony charges of reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving were filed against the now-20-year-old.

More recently, in Kendall County, 27-year-old expectant mother Alexis Danley was killed and her 1-year-old son was injured in a June 30 crash on Ridge Road. It was nearly two weeks until aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges were filed against the other driver, 23-year-old Jacob Kaminski. Kaminski was initially cited for DUI, passing in a no-passing zone, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana.

Hoffmeyer said Woulfe, who just moved to the Beecher area two weeks prior to the accident, is cooperating with investigators. "We take every case very seriously," she said, adding that the Beecher crash is no exception. "We need time to complete the investigation and proceed with potential charges."

Schmidt family photo via Becky Broderick of Broderick photography.