Fairdale woman charged with hit and run, resisting police: Sheriff

FAIRDALE – A Fairdale woman has been charged with hit and run after police said her car struck a parked pickup truck this week and drove away from the scene, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

Catie Sitz, 45, of Fairdale has been charged with failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident, resisting a peace officer, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and improper use of an electronics communication device stemming from a Wednesday night incident, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Sitz was held overnight in DeKalb County Jail after leading DeKalb County Sheriff deputies on a foot chase following a report of a hit-and-run in Fairdale, documents show.

At 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5, sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that a gray Honda Civic struck a parked black GMC Sierra pickup truck and drove away from the scene near Illinois Route 72 and White Street in Fairdale, said DeKalb County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jim Burgh.

Police determined the Honda Civic belonged to Sitz. The parked black pickup truck was not occupied at the time of the incident, Burgh said.

Burgh said Sitz was not injured during the accident or foot pursuit.

After locating the Honda Civic at a home in the 32000 block of White Street in Fairdale, sheriff’s deputies approached the home and spoke with Sitz in the driveway.

According to the news release, Sitz reportedly admitted to the hit-and-run incident, but Burgh alleged Sitz did not cooperate when DeKalb County Deputy Sheriff Luke Chambers asked for her drivers license.

“They were in the driveway talking and she started to run away, back towards the house,” Burgh said. “And the deputy went after her and tried to stop her to tell her ‘yYu have to produce these, we have to investigate this,’ and then she started to pull away and started resisting and he got her into custody.”

Burgh said the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office advises individuals to pull over and call the police if they hit a vehicle. Leaving the scene of an accident is illegal in Illinois. If there’s a reason a person can’t pull over at the scene of the accident, Burgh said they should drive safely to their destination and then give police a call.

“Not reporting it, no matter how minor or how severe the accident is is a crime,” Burgh said.

This story has been corrected as of 7:33 p.m. April 6, 2023 after an earlier version incorrectly stated that the parked black pickup truck was occupied at the time of the incident. It was not occupied.