Fired Will County sheriff’s deputy pleads guilty to misdemeanor in 2021 crash case

A fired Will County sheriff’s deputy has pleaded guilty to aggravated speeding in a 2021 incident that involved a major crash in Joliet that injured several people.

On Sept. 6, Andrew Schwartz, 39, of Joliet, was sentenced to serve a year of conditional discharge after he pleaded guilty to driving more than 35 mph over the posted speed limit on April 4, 2021, in the westbound direction of Washington Street in Joliet, court records show.

Schwartz, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, got into a confrontation with another driver, George Kou-Kou, 22, of Plainfield, that led to him chasing after Kou-Kou, according to an internal investigation by the Will County Sheriff’s Office. The chase led to Kou-Kou crashing into a third vehicle that was driven by Philip Juarez and occupied by Juarez’s family.

The crash occurred on Plainfield Road near Louie’s Barber Shop.

The aggravated speeding charge represents the third time that Special Prosecutor William Elward has filed a different charge against Schwartz, who was fired last year by Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley following the internal investigation.

At first, Elward filed a felony charge of aggravated reckless driving against Schwartz that accused him of causing great bodily harm to Phillip Juarez and his family following his pursuit of Kou-Kou.

That charge was dismissed by Judge Dave Carlson after he granted a motion from Schwartz’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak. The motion claimed Elward misled the grand jury.

Then on Sept. 30, 2022, Elward filed a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving against Schwartz that alleged Schwartz drove his vehicle with “willful and wanton disregard” for the safety of others while pursuing Kou-Kou.

Ultimately, Schwartz pleaded guilty to a new charge filed by Elward that only accused him of speeding on Washington Street.

Schwartz must still contend with a lawsuit filed by Juarez against him, Kou-Kou, Kelley and Will County. The lawsuit accuses Schwartz and Kou-Kou of committing negligent acts that led to the crash.

Kou-Kou was charged with the felony offense of aggravated reckless driving. Kou-Kou is scheduled for a jury trial on Oct. 30.

An internal investigation of Schwartz’s actions in the lead-up to the crash by Will County Cmdr. Dan Troike led him to conclude that even if Schwartz was on duty at the time of the incident, his actions were not justified under the sheriff’s office pursuit policy.

Kelley wrote a letter to Schwartz that said he was found in violation of the sheriff’s office rules of conduct.

Schwartz got into a “roadway confrontation” with occupants of another vehicle and he chased that vehicle “recklessly through the streets,” Kelley said in the letter.

“This chase resulted in you violating numerous traffic laws, thus placing the public at risk,” Kelley said.