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player ready...A Downers Grove man who DuPage prosecutors contend dumped a bottle of glue into a tollway coin collection machine had recently received a notice that he was being fined for not paying tolls.
A jury began hearing testimony Wednesday in the trial of Thomas Zajac, 52, charged with criminal damage to state property for allegedly dumping a bottle of glue into the coin collection machine on the southbound entrance lanes from Butterfield Road to the North-South Tollway (Interstate Highway 355).
Assistant State’s Atty. Kevin Laude told the jury that on Sept. 21, 2004, the Illinois Toll Highway Authority sent a notice to Zajac that he was being fined for failing to pay tolls five times in 2002 and 2003. The glue incident allegedly happened Sept. 26, 2004.
“That is no coincidence,” Laude said. “An Illinois State Police investigation acquired a videotape of the traffic lane at the time the machine was rendered useless.”
Damage to the machine was almost $2,000, Laude said.
John Wimmer, Zajac’s attorney, claimed that jurors viewing the tape would be unable to recognize his client “from the small portion of the left side of a face you see.”
Wimmer said in his opening arguments that his client frequently allowed a co-worker to drive his Dodge Durango, and that on Sept. 26, that co-worker had allowed a day laborer that he had hired to drive the vehicle.
Wimmer also said there is no evidence that Zajac received the notice of the fine before the Sept. 26 incident, and that on Oct. 1, the $104 fine was paid.
The jury is expected to view the tape Thursday, with the trial ending this week.
If convicted, Zajac faces a sentence ranging from probation to 3 years in prison.
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