Fatal ATV Crash Leads to Indictment

Written by WBBM Newsradio 780

Saturday, September 06, 2008

MORRIS-- The teen driving an ATV that hit a Morris police squad car and resulted in the death of a 19-year-old college-bound man is indicted for reckless homicide.

Steffen Durkee, 19, of Morris, was indicted with aggravated driving under the influence, reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving and driving while license suspended, said Sheldon Sobol, Grundy County state's attorney.

Dennis Roden, of Morris, was Durkee's passenger on the all-terrain vehicle when it crashed with the patrol car Aug. 16. The ATV pulled out in front of a squad car driven by patrolman Steve Huettemann, according to a State Police report on the crash. The police car struck the ATV just after midnight after coming out of a break in the fencing of Evergreen Cemetery on Cemetery Road.

The report states Huettemann said the ATV did not have its headlight on. Durkee said in the report he was unsure if his headlight was on and said he was crossing Cemetery Road to hide from the police.

Roden was pronounced dead at Morris Hospital.

Durkee is not in jail, but out on bond.

"He is not a risk of flight," Sobol said. "He is someone who will respond to court so he was bonded."

Durkee went before a new grand jury on Tuesday. Sobol said the incident is still under investigation.

Source: http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/2920362.php

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Community Voices

“It’s frustrating having a hunt ruined by people riding ATVs where off-road vehicle use is prohibited. Many ATVs look the same so there’s no way to identify violators when reporting the incident to law enforcement. There should be a requirement that off-road vehicles used on public lands have license plates or large decals. Any ATV user who follows the law and land management directives on where they can and can not use these machines should have no objection to this type of identification.”

- Holly Endersby, hunter from western Idaho