Off-duty police officer charged with DUI in crash that killed St. Clair County man
Nearly three months after a Cahokia man was killed in a fatal traffic accident, a former Alton police officer has been charged.
Ashley Roever, of Bethalto, was charged Tuesday by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric with aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol in connection with the crash, which occured in the early-morning hours of Nov. 14 in Sauget.
Toshorn Napper, 31, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after police were notified at 2 a.m.. He was stopped at a rail road crossing on Illinois 3 in Sauget inside his white GMC Envoy when he was struck from behind by a 2016 GMC Sierra allegedly driven by Roever, an off-duty officer with the Alton Police Department.
“At the time of the accident, it is alleged that Roever was operating her vehicle while in excess of the legal limit for alcohol concentration in a person’s blood, and that her conduct was the proximate cause of the death of Toshorn Napper,” a release from state’s attorney’s office says.
Roever’s bond has been set at $50,000. She faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted, according to the release.
Roever is not currently in custody but police are awaiting a warrant for her arrest, a spokesman for Gomric’s office said.
Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said Roever, who joined the police department in November of 2019, was fired from her job following an internal investigation into her role in the crash.
“Shortly after we received information about the traffic accident, she was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation,” said Chief Marcos Pulido. “The internal affairs investigation was completed prior to the issuance of criminal charges today, so she’s been terminated for a while.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
