Joliet man indicted in aggravated DUI linked to deadly Beecher crash

A grand jury has indicted a Joliet man on charges alleging that he was driving under the influence of alcohol in a July 28 crash that led to the death of a woman in Beecher.

The indictment was filed Thursday against Cesar Gonzalez, 26, who stands charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence. Both charges are Class 2 felonies, which are punishable by probation or up to seven years in prison.

Gonzalez was arrested after a Will County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the crash that led to the death of Jodi Ruggiero, 36, of Grant Park.

Will County Judge Donald DeWilkins granted prosecutors’ request to keep Gonzalez in jail.

DeWilkins signed an order that said Gonzalez’s pretrial release poses a real and present threat to others, and no condition can mitigate his threat to others. The pretrial provision of the SAFE-T Act allows a judge to detain a defendant if he or she is charged with aggravated DUI leading to death.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI in 2020, but he avoided a conviction on his record after successfully completing his sentence, court records show.

About 10 p.m. July 28, deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash on West Eagle Lake Road and South Kedzie Avenue in Beecher, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

Gonzalez was the driver of a Dodge 3500 pickup truck that traveled west on Eagle Lake Road and entered the intersection after failing to yield to a stop sign, Hoffmeyer said.

Gonzalez’s vehicle crashed into the Ford Explorer SUV driven by Ruggiero, Hoffmeyer said. Gonzalez, his 17-year-old male passenger and Ruggiero were hospitalized after the crash, Hoffmeyer said.

Ruggiero later died from her injuries, Hoffmeyer said.

Gonzalez and the 17-year-old were treated and released from the hospital, Hoffmeyer said.

Gonzalez’s blood was taken by hospital staff, and a sheriff’s deputy was informed that Gonzalez’s blood-alcohol concentration was well above the legal limit at 0.101%, according to a court filing from prosecutors.

During the investigation of the crash, deputies noticed that there were stop signs for east and west traffic on Eagle Lake Road, which Gonzalez had been traveling on, prosecutors said. There were no traffic control devices on Kedzie Avenue.

Gonzalez told deputies that he stopped at the intersection of Eagle Lake Road and Kedzie Avenue but didn’t see any drivers, prosecutors said. Gonzalez said he then started to “take off, when all of a sudden” he saw “lights out of nowhere,” prosecutors said.

Gonzalez had reached over to hold his passenger back “and then rolled over,” prosecutors said.

Gonzalez allegedly admitted to drinking before the crash but stopped drinking about 4 p.m. July 28, prosecutors said.

Gonzalez’s passenger told deputies that he was “on his phone and doesn’t remember much,” but he “noted the vehicle had made a stop, [pulled out] and then [Gonzalez] reached over to him and then saw the oncoming headlights,” prosecutors said.

Gonzalez’s passenger then “blacked out, and the truck rolled over,” prosecutors said.

Hoffmeyer said Gonzalez was “not familiar with the roadway.”

After the crash, Gonzalez said he left his vehicle and tried to render aid to Ruggiero until an emergency crew arrived, Hoffmeyer said.

In Gonzalez’s 2020 DUI case, his sentence included 18 months of court supervision, a victim impact panel, a drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment.

About a month after Gonzalez pleaded guilty to DUI in 2020, he was charged with felony aggravated driving on a suspended license.

But prosecutors later amended that charge to a misdemeanor offense. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to that offense, and he was sentenced to three months of court supervision.

Gonzalez’s successful completion of his sentence in the latter case allowed him to avoid a conviction, court records show.