Double Fatal At Infantry Drive: Joliet Sues Teenage Driver

JOLIET, IL — Even though the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has filed no charges since last month's overnight double-fatality of 65-year-old Walter "Buddy" Kretzler and his 59-year-old wife, Roxane Holt, the city of Joliet's legal department just filed a civil lawsuit against the Crest Hill motorist responsible for the crash.

In another exclusive, Joliet Patch found that the city of Joliet's assistant corporation counsel Todd Lenzie filed a lawsuit on Thursday at the Will County Courthouse against 19-year-old motorist Jacoby Hamilton, seeking nearly $15,000.

According to the city's lawsuit: at 2:06 a.m. on Feb. 18, Jacoby Hamilton was driving northbound on Infantry Drive in Joliet, and Lasonya Hamilton is the owner of the 2008 Chevy Tahoe.

"That at said time and place, defendant lost control of his vehicle, causing his vehicle to strike unit 2, causing unit 2 to collide with our fire hydrant," Joliet's lawsuit noted.

According to Joliet's legal department, Jacoby Hamilton failed to maintain control over his motor vehicle and was otherwise negligent and careless.

The wreck caused by Jacoby Hamilton caused "great damage and expense for repairs in the amount of $14,829.91," the lawsuit noted.

Lenzie has asked that a Will County judge issue a judgment against defendants Lasonya Hamilton and Jacoby Hamilton for the $14,830 "plus costs of suit and for any other relief as this honorable court deems equitable and just."

According to the lawsuit, the Hamiltons are set to appear at the Will County Courthouse in Courtroom 904 on April 17 at 9 a.m. The Hamiltons live in Crest Hill's apartment buildings in the 1400 block of Pioneer Road.

Three days after the double fatality, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said: "As the investigation of this crash progresses, it is believed that the Chevrolet Tahoe driven by the 19-year-old male disregarded the red stoplight as it proceeded northbound on 129th Infantry Drive at Black Road, following review of nearby surveillance footage by the Joliet Police Department Traffic Unit."

The collision caused the Chevrolet Trailblazer to leave the roadway on the northwest corner of the intersection, striking a fire hydrant and overturning onto its passenger side.

"Criminal charges resulting from this crash are at the behest of a thorough and complete investigation of the incident. This crash remains under active investigation as Traffic Unit Investigators continue to work through a large amount of evidence and information," English explained last month.

In his first press release after the double fatality, English revealed how the 19-year-old driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe and an unknown male passenger tried to run from the crash.

The driver was quickly stopped by the Joliet police, but the male passenger got away, English pointed out. Kretzler and Holt died instantly during the wreck.

Felony Gun Arrest Last September

Joliet police were already familiar with Jacoby Hamilton as a result of multiple traffic stops earlier this year and a felony gun arrest last September.

On Sept. 27, Joliet Patch reported that Joliet police officers arrested and later released the Crest Hill teenager following the recovery of a loaded gun and a cannabis vape pen in his vehicle, according to arrest reports.

At that time, Joliet police said Hamilton was given a notice to appear in court on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

According to Sgt. English, around 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, officers conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Tahoe near Black Road and Junie Court for speeding.

Officers detected the odor of cannabis coming from Hamilton's SUV. The officers recovered a loaded handgun and a cannabis vape pen near the driver’s seat.

Jacoby Hamilton Skips Court Twice, Arrest Warrant Out

Jacoby Hamilton was a no-show at the Will County Courthouse on March 6 for his latest pretrial hearing in connection with his felony gun charges from September. As a result, Will County Judge Dave Carlson issued no-bond warrant for Hamilton.

So far, authorities in Will County have not captured Hamilton, Joliet Patch found. In addition to the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon/having no FOID charge, Hamilton faces traffic citations including unlawful possession of marijuana by a driver, driving 15 to 20 mph over the speed limit and improper traffic lane usage.

That's not all. Hamilton was set to have a pretrial hearing in Courtroom 302 on Friday in Will County for three tickets Joliet police gave him on Feb. 4 — exactly two weeks before he caused the wreck killing the Joliet husband and wife.

For the Feb. 4 Joliet police stop, Hamilton was ticketed for transporting alcohol as a driver, unlawful possession of marijuana as a driver and a muffler violation.

On Friday morning, Hamilton skipped out on his hearing Courtroom 302, just like he did last week in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson.

The judge in Courtroom 302 also issued a warrant for his arrest following Friday's no-show.

Obituaries For Buddy Kretzler, Roxane Holt

The Blackburn-Giegerich-Sonntag Funeral Home on Black Road handled the funeral services for the Joliet husband and wife who died on Feb. 18.

According to the obituary for Buddy Kretzler: "As a people person, excellent student and an athletic star, he often put a smile onto the faces of everyone he met. Buddy was inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 as a star athletic in Football and Track, where some of his records still stand to this day.

"After college, he held various Metallurgical engineering positions in Ohio, Arkansas, Illinois, and Indiana. He was currently employed as the Director of Quality Assurance/Chief Metallurgist at Niagara LaSalle Corporation in Hammond, Indiana."

As for his wife, Roxane Holt, her obituary explained: "she graduated from Joliet West and went on to attend the College of St. Francis and later went to work at Sheffield Steel. This is where she met the love of her life, Walter "Buddy" Kretzler.

"Roxane loved Buddy dearly, and they were married over thirty years. She loved playing with her four dogs and going out to see the horses she and Buddy had."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Gun Found After Black Road Traffic Stop By Joliet Police: English

Blown Red Light Killed 2 Joliet Motorists Last Weekend: JPD