Lake County Gazette

A Lake Villa man has been charged following an accident that occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. near Route 59 and Diemer Street in unincorporated Antioch. Sheriff's deputies responding to the traffic crash found a 43-year-old Antioch woman unresponsive and unconscious in the roadway.

According to a Lake County Sheriff's Office news release, deputies discovered a downed 1998 Harley Davidson motorcycle at the crash site. The woman, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, was taken to an area hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries.

The news release stated that Gregory Shaer, 51, of the 25000 block of West Blackstone Place in unincorporated Lake Village, initially told deputies he was traveling southbound on Route 59 and swerved to avoid striking a vehicle that turned in front of him, causing him to lose control of the motorcycle. Shaer did not sustain significant injuries. A 33-year-old Antioch woman informed deputies she was traveling northbound on Route 59 when she was sideswiped by the motorcycle. She said Shaer swerved into her lane and sideswiped her GMC Acadia. Evidence at the scene was consistent with her statement.

Sheriff's deputies reported detecting signs of alcohol impairment from Shaer. After his arrest, he refused to provide breath, blood, or urine samples for analysis. A Lake County judge signed and approved a search warrant for those samples. Samples taken at a local hospital were sent to the crime laboratory for analysis.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office approved charges against Shaer including aggravated DUI resulting in great bodily harm (class 4 felony), DUI - alcohol (class A misdemeanor), and driving in the wrong lane of traffic. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.