Former Oak Lawn Official Pleads Guilty In 'Hit And Run' Crash

OAK LAWN, IL — Former Oak Lawn Village Manager Larry Deetjen accepted a plea deal for his involvement in a 2019 traffic crash that left a pedestrian grievously injured. Deetjen, 73, appeared Wednesday before Cook County Judge Joel Buikema at the Bridgeview Court House, where he pleaded guilty to failure to give information and render aid resulting in injury or death.

The evening of Oct. 10, 2019, Deetjen left Schmadtke Funeral Home in Palos Hills, where he had been attending an employee’s father’s wake. He was driving his village-owned Crown Victoria down Harlem Avenue around 8 p.m., when he struck pedestrian Mark Berkshire, 48, who was crossing Harlem near 101st Street in Chicago Ridge.

Deetjen is said to have continued driving and did not stop to check if Berkshire injured. A Worth police officer reviewed red-light and private security cameras and was able to obtain the plate number. Eventually, the Crown Victoria with municipal plates was traced to the Village of Oak Lawn. Deetjen was arrested a few hours later at his Oak Lawn condominium.

The plea agreement had been worked out with Deetjen’s attorney, Michael Walsh, and Cook County Assistant Attorney Matthew Larkin, where evidence that would have been provided in a criminal trial was instead presented to Judge Buikema.

Larkin said had the case gone to trial, a witness who was in front of Deetjen in the left two lanes would have testified that Deetjen pulled ahead of him. Surveillance video showed Berkshire wearing dark clothing enter the frame, then momentarily disappear. The motorist told police he honked his horn to alert Deetjen of the pedestrian crossing the roadway. Security video from Fine Line Precision caught the Crown Victoria striking Berkshire, launching the pedestrian into the air before he landed on a driveway, Larkin said.

Deetjen is said to have told police that he was momentarily distracted by hearing a horn honking. He said he did not know at the time that he had hit a pedestrian, thinking the sound was his car hitting a barricade. A passenger in another vehicle got out to help Berkshire. The motorist pursued the Crown Victoria for several blocks, but lost it in traffic.

A Chicago Ridge police officer arriving at the scene said that Berkshire was unconscious but still breathing. Berkshire was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where the injured pedestrian was administered a blood test. Larkin said the results showed evidence that Berkshire was intoxicated.

The prosecutor said that when Deetjen arrived at LA Fitness around 8:30 p.m., he noticed front end damage to the passenger side of his vehicle, including a broken headlight. After finishing his workout, he left the gym and continued to O’Hare International Airport, where he picked up his daughter. The prosecutor said Deetjen called his daughter to tell her to look for the Crown Vic with front end damage at the arrival area.

Chicago Ridge officers, learning that the Crown Vic was registered to the Village of Oak Lawn, contacted then-Oak Lawn Police Chief Randy Palmer at 10:30 p.m. Palmer was told that a village-owned vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian with severe injuries.

When Palmer called Deetjen to ask about Crown Vic, Deetjen told Palmer he had been driving in the area at the time of the accident; he may have been involved in the hit-and-run, Larkin said. Chicago Ridge police arrived at Deetjen’s Oak Lawn condo after midnight, where he was taken into custody.

The prosecutor said Deetjen agreed to take a breathalyzer test at the Chicago Ridge police station, which showed no intoxicating substances in his system. His cellphone data along Harlem Avenue was also tracked, indicating no usage or activity before or after the accident.

Deetjen was charged with assorted misdemeanor traffic offenses, including leaving the scene of an accident, failure to give information after striking a person or property; failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident/driving too fast for conditions and failure to exercise due caution. All were dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea to failure to render aid.

In the days following the crash, Deetjen retired as village manager of Oak Lawn.

Walsh described his client as a good man who “left many deposits in the bank with good deeds.” He touted Deetjen’s 46-year career in public service, managing various municipalities. During Deetjen’s tenure in Oak Lawn, he said Deetjen spearheaded development along the 95th Street corridor and Stony Creek Promenade. He also mentioned the $10 million settlement of a civil suit against the village and Deetjen with Berkshire’s family.

“Harlem can be a very busy road. [Deetjen is] very remorseful. He has a lot of empathy for Mr. Berkshire and his family,” Walsh said. “I wish Mr. Berkshire the best and hope he continues his recovery.”

Deetjen also expressed remorse for Berkshire. He mentioned picking up his children, who had flown in to help spread the ashes of his late wife, Lynn, who had died a few months earlier, in Lake Michigan per her wishes.

“I resigned from 46 years of a good public service career,” Deetjen said. “I recognize the public trust and accept community service.”

Before handing down his sentence, Judge Buikema told Deetjen that he found his indifference to Berkshire “distressing.”

“You had a career in public service and then abandoned your duty,” the judge said. “You continued on with your evening.”

Taking into account Deetjen’s age and lack of criminal background, and the fact that his BAC showed no evidence of alcohol, Judge Buikema said he agreed with the sentence proposed by the assistant state’s attorney.

“The family is in agreement,” Larkin said.

Deetjen was sentenced to two years’ probation and 300 hours of community service in a rehabilitative facility. He was also fined $2,500 and ordered to pay court costs.