PEKIN, Ill. – An off-duty police officer who was recently honored for cracking down on drunken driving has been charged with driving under the influence in a crash that injured 10 people.
Greg Heiken, 37, a 13-year veteran of the El Paso, Ill., police department, was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
He was released after posting $1,000 bond.
Authorities said Heiken was driving a truck that rear-ended a sport utility vehicle Monday night, triggering a chain-reaction crash. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
In a court affidavit, Heiken acknowledged striking a car, but denied starting the crash. Heiken said he had been drinking at a nearby casino, but he refused a blood-alcohol test, according to the affidavit. Blood was taken against his wishes because people were injured. The test results were not available.
"There will be no comment," Heiken's wife said when reached at the couple's home. "It's not something we want to discuss all over the town."
El Paso Police Chief Jeff Price said he will consult city officials about possible discipline.
"The department is in shock," Price said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved."
Heiken had been honored by the Illinois Department of Transportation's traffic safety division in 2004 for making the most DUI arrests in Woodford County.
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