Joliet Repeat DUI Offender Faces 6 Criminal Charges After Injuring Little Girl: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — After reviewing the events surrounding Joliet citizen Fabian Salgado's wreck last month on Ingalls Avenue that left a 2-year-old girl in the other vehicle with serious leg injuries, Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow has filed six felony charges against Salgado, who is a repeat DUI offender, court files show.

On Friday, prosecutors revealed their criminal complaint, showing four counts of aggravated DUI and two counts of failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death. That's not all.

A failure to appear warrant was issued Friday for his arrest after Salgado was a no-show Friday at the Will County Courthouse for his scheduled court hearing on his DUI citation, court files show.

The Joliet Police Department's report from Salgado's July 27 arrest indicates "officers located Salgado who left the scene of the accident. After speaking with Salgado, he identified himself as the driver of unit 1. I could smell an overwhelming smell of alcoholic beverage on his breath, blood shot watery eyes. He admitted to drinking 'a lot.'"

Salgado had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.159, twice the legal limit to be considered an intoxicated motorist in Illinois, court records indicate.

Last month, Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English said that at 4:39 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, officers responded to Ingalls Avenue and Hosmer Street for a crash. The driver of one vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, had run from the scene following the crash. Officers checking the area found the driver, Salgado, walking near Burry Street and Norley Avenue. The officers determined that Salgado was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe eastbound on Ingalls Avenue. The Hyundai veered into the westbound lane of Ingalls Avenue and struck a westbound Ford Explorer driven by a 27-year-old Joliet resident, police said.

A 2-year-old female passenger inside the Ford was transported to the hospital with a serious leg injury. Salgado was uninjured.

Less than two years ago, Crest Hill police arrested Salgado for a DUI, on Sept. 24, 2023. In that case, Salgado's alcohol concentration was 0.28, which was more than three times the legal limit in Illinois. The Crest Hill police report noted that Salgado's driver's license could not be surrendered because "no driver's license issued."

"Observed erratic driving behaviors. Driver stumbled out of driver's seat. Observed physical impairment when standing and walking," the Crest Hill police report advised.

For that DUI arrest, Salgado pleaded guilty in January 2024 and Will County Judge Marzell Richardson sentenced him to 12 months court supervision and $2,000 in fees, fines and court costs.

Salgado comes from the 1400 block of Joliet's Burry Street.