A Blackberry Township man pleaded guilty Wednesday to DUI charges in connection with a crash in Aurora where one man was killed and another was seriously injured, officials said.
Nicholas J. Roepke, 30, of the 0N200 block of Dooley Drive, pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI causing death and aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, according to a press release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
DuPage County Judge Michael Reidy accepted Roepke’s guilty plea.
The crash occurred around 7:40 p.m. March 7, 2022, at Bilter and Eola roads on the northeast side of Aurora. Aurora police officers found 73-year-old Willie Mosley, of Maywood, and another man suffering from serious injuries, according to the release.
Mosley and another person were in a pickup truck driving northbound on Eola Road when a refrigerator sitting in the truck bed fell out, prosecutors said. Mosley and the other person got out of the vehicle to pick up the fridge and a passerby stopped to help them, according to the release.
As they were loading the refrigerator back onto the truck, Roepke’s vehicle struck Mosley and the passerby. Mosley was pinned between the vehicle and the truck, the release said.
The passerby was taken to the hospital for medical attention after suffering serious injuries. Mosley was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Roepke was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries and was released to Aurora police. An investigation found that his blood alcohol level was .214 shortly after the crash, according to the release. The legal limit in Illinois is .08.
Roepke is due back in court on May 2 for pre-sentencing. He faces a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.