Woman Sentenced to 1 Year After Drunkenly Crashing Into State Trooper Car

A woman from Maywood was sentenced to a year in prison Monday after crashing into a parked state trooper while she was driving drunk last year, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced in a release.

Natasha Mister, 31, was driving south on Interstate 355 around 12:45 a.m. Aug. 28, 2016 when her car collided with a clearly marked squad car, the release states. Illinois State Trooper Klecka was sitting in his car on the right shoulder of the road near Army Trail Road and was waiting for a tow truck that had been called after a previous traffic stop. All of his rear emergency lights were activated, according to the release.

Klecka sustained injuries in the collision, but wasn't killed. Mister's blood alcohol content was later found to be 0.26, far above the legal limit of 0.08.

"First and foremost, I would like to say how grateful we are that Trooper Klecka's injuries were not life threatening and that he is back on the job today," Berlin said in the release. "This was a senseless, 100-percent avoidable crash that thankfully did not involve the loss of a life. With taxis and ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking."

Berlin also emphasized the fact that cars need to slow down and, if possible, switch lanes when they see emergency lights on the side of the road.

"Police officers, emergency responders and road crews have a hard enough job to do and do not need to feel like they are sitting ducks as cars speed past them," he said.

Mister was sentenced to one year in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Judge Brian Telander on Monday. She will also owe court costs totaling $2,208.

Mister will have to serve 85 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole.

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