Judge jails driver involved in fatal Joliet crash that killed couple

A Will County judge decided to jail a 19-year-old driver who was involved in a fatal crash in Joliet that killed a married couple after the driver failed to appear in court for unrelated cases.

On Tuesday, Jacoby Hamilton, 19, of Crest Hill, showed up in court after a warrant was issued for his arrest for failing to appear in court in a felony gun case and traffic cases unrelated to the deadly Feb. 18 crash.

Judge Dave Carlson decided to have Hamilton put in jail. Prosecutors have filed a petition to impose sanctions on Hamilton, including imprisonment in jail for a maximum of 30 days. The petition is set for a hearing on March 22.

Hamilton, who was wearing a red hoodie, was represented by Assistant Will County Public Defender Julie Primozic. She requested Carlson to quash the warrant for Hamilton’s arrest but the judge declined to do so.

Walter Kretzler, 65, who was the driver of a Chevrolet Trailblazer, and his wife, Roxane Holt Kretzler, 59, were both killed in the Feb. 18 crash.

Hamilton was the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe that crashed into the couple’s Chevrolet Trailblazer at the intersection of Black Road and 129th Infantry Drive, according to a crash report.

On Monday morning, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said the investigation of the crash is still open and charges are still being considered. Court records on Tuesday did not show charges filed against Hamilton over the deadly crash.

Last Thursday, the City of Joliet filed a lawsuit against Hamilton for about $14,829 over a fire hydrant that was damaged in a crash.

The city’s lawsuit said Hamilton lost control of his vehicle, causing it to strike the other vehicle, which then caused the latter vehicle to collide with the city’s fire hydrant.

The city claims Hamilton is guilty of failing to maintain control of his vehicle and was otherwise “careless and negligent” in the crash that damaged the fire hydrant.

The crash caused the city “great damage and expenses for repairs” of about $14,829, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit asks a Will County judge to award the money to the city for the damage to the fire hydrant and the cost of filing the suit.

The city’s lawsuit named Lasonya Hamilton as another defendant in the case and claimed she is the owner of the Chevrolet Tahoe that caused the deadly crash.

Following the crash, Hamilton and a male passenger in his vehicle had tried to run from the crash scene, according to a statement from the Joliet Police Department.

“The driver was quickly stopped by officers but the male passenger was unable to be located,” police said.

That passenger has not been located as of Monday morning, English said.