Will County sheriff’s deputy charged with DUI in Plainfield crash

A Will County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with driving under the influence in a two-vehicle crash in the parking lot of a Plainfield gas station. When police arrived at the crash scene, he was asleep at the wheel of his Ford, and the engine was still running, police said.

Ross Ricobene, 36, was identified by officers as the driver of the Ford vehicle involved in the crash May 13, Plainfield police Cmdr. Anthony Novak said.

Ricobene is a deputy who works in the investigations unit at the Will County Sheriff’s Office, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

Ricobene was off duty at the time of the incident, she said.

Ricobene remains employed at the sheriff’s office and has been put on desk duty, Hoffmeyer said.

The internal affairs unit is investigating, she said.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s office is prosecuting the case, Novak said.

About 12:50 a.m. on May 13, police responded to a traffic crash with possible injuries at the Speedway gas station, 15919 S. Lincoln Highway, Novak said.

The area is more than 7 miles northwest of Joliet.

When police arrived, they saw in the parking lot a Ford Taurus that was in contact with a Dodge Grand Caravan as a result of a crash, Novak said.

Officers spoke with the three occupants of the Dodge — a 44-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, Novak said.

They told officers that while they were sitting in their vehicle, the Ford had struck their vehicle, Novak said.

Ricobene still was inside the Ford, sitting in the driver’s seat as the vehicle continued running and the keys stayed in the ignition, Novak said. Ricobene was the only occupant in the vehicle.

“The officer approached the driver and observed that he was asleep,” Novak said.

The officer was unsuccessful in waking up Ricobene, Novak said.

The officer reached inside the vehicle, applied the brake, placed the vehicle in park and removed the keys from the ignition, Novak said.

As the officer reached inside the vehicle, he “observed the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the driver,” Novak said.

Ricobene had refused all testing for DUI at the scene and at the Plainfield Police Department, Novak said.

Paramedics with the Plainfield Fire Protection District evaluated all people involved in the crash, Novak said. They all refused medical treatment.

Based on the officer’s preliminary investigation, Ricobene was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence, taken to the police department for booking and released on his own recognizance, Novak said.