Batavia Man Convicted For DUI In 2022 Crash With Squad Car: SA

BATAVIA, IL — A Batavia man who drunkenly crashed into a cop car the night before Christmas in 2022 was convicted of two felonies and two misdemeanors, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said Thursday.

Samuel Kramer, of the 800 block of Forest Avenue, was found guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI with a blood alcohol content over 0.08, improper passing of an emergency vehicle causing damage, and leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to vehicle.

The 60-year-old man faces a sentence ranging from one to three years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The conviction stems from the evening of Dec. 24, when several officers gathered at the intersection of West Fabyan Parkway and Western Avenue to investigate a crash. Police used their squad cars with activated emergency lights to protect the scene and alert traffic of the hazard when a white 2002 Chevy Tahoe failed to yield and crashed into one of the police vehicles "at a high rate of speed" before fleeing, Patch reported.

The officer standing outside the car was "narrowly missed" by the Chevy, police said at the time.

When police located Kramer a short distance away, the man submitted to a breath alcohol test that determined his BAC to be 0.211. He also didn't have a valid driver's license at the time.

RELATED: Squad Car Hit By Batavia Man Driving Drunk: Police

The squad car sustained heavy damage to its rear bumper and rear hatch, and the Chevy was heavily damaged in the front, according to police. No one was injured in the crash.

"This case is a demonstration of how the decision to drive under the influence of alcohol and to ignore the mandates of Scott's Law–to move over and slow down–can have near-fatal consequences," Assistant State's Attorney Katy Flannagan said in a statement. "From the moment this preventable crash occurred, the officers of the Batavia Police Department worked professionally and diligently to hold this defendant accountable, and this conviction does just that."

Kramer's court date for motions and sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Kane County Judicial Center.