Teen Charged In Crash That Killed Cook County Sheriff's Officer

CHICAGO RIDGE, IL -- A teen driver has been charged in a crash that killed a Cook County Sheriff’s Police officer in Chicago Ridge. Officer James Koch, 51, was off-duty and driving to his home in Chicago Ridge when the crash occurred a few minutes past midnight on Saturday. Chicago Ridge police said the 16-year-old male driver was apparently driving without a license.

Police are not releasing the teen’s name because he is a minor. The teen driver is being charged with reckless homicide, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, driving in the wrong lane and driving too fast for conditions.

At 12:04 a.m. Saturday, Chicago Ridge police responded to a crash in the 10100 block of Virginia Avenue. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered two heavily damaged vehicles, including 2015 Nissan and 2002 Chevrolet. Police said that the teen driver had crashed into the Chevy.

The officer was trapped in his car and unresponsive. The Chicago Ridge Fire Department extricated the officer from his vehicle and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. The officer’s body was escorted from the hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office by law enforcement agencies that included the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and the Illinois State Police.

Koch lived in Chicago Ridge. He worked a day shift but was not on his way home when the crash occurred, according to news reports. Koch was an electronic monitoring investigation and had been with the Cook County Sheriff’s for over 28 years.

"Early this morning, Electronic Monitoring Investigator James Koch, 51, was involved in a fatal car accident near his home in Chicago Ridge," the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in a written statement. "Investigator Koch has been with our office for more than 28 years. He was an incredible colleague and friend to so many. Our hearts are broken for his family, his friends, and all who were fortunate enough to know him."

The teen is being for a juvenile detention hearing on Sunday at 1100 S. Hamlin Ave., Chicago.

Koch’s death is the third fatal accident involving a law enforcement officer within the past 48 hours. Illinois State Police Trooper Brook Jones-Story was killed Thursday after she was struck by a truck while conducting a traffic stop on US 20 outside of Rockford. Early Saturday morning, Trooper Gerald Ellis, 31, was killed in a wrong-way crash on I-94 in Green Oaks.