Madison County man was on meth, cocaine when he crash into motorcyclist, charges allege

A Madison County man was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence in connection with a crash that took the life of a motorcyclist.

According to charges filed Tuesday by Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine’s office, Steven T. Dublo, 44, of Grafton, had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system when he allegedly drove his flatbed pickup truck through a red light and into a man on his motorcycle on April 2.

Nicholas O. West, 32, of Wood River, later died in the emergency room of Alton Memorial Hospital. The crash occurred near at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway in Alton.

“We continue to pray for healing for the family and loved ones of Mr. West,” Haine said through a statement. “I want to remind drivers that they need to be aware of motorcyclists. And I want to warn everyone that getting behind the wheel while impaired is always a poor decision, often resulting in horrific consequences.”

Bail for Dublo was set at $100,000 by Associate Judge Neil Schroeder. Should he be released on bond, Dublo will be prohibited from operating a motor vehicle or consuming drugs or alcohol, and require him to submit to random drug testing.

Dublo also is charged with disregarding a traffic-control signal and violating the weight classification of his driver’s license.

Alton Police, with assistance from the Metro East Crash Assistance Team, conducted the investigation, according to Haine.

This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 3:36 PM.