Cop Got Breathalyzer 4 Hours After Fatal Crash
Family missed court appearance that was suddenly moved 1 hour early
By LORA LESAGE
Updated 8:29 PM CST, Tue, May 26, 2009
It took nearly four hours before an off-duty Chicago police officer charged in a fatal hit-and-run was given a Breathalyzer test, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Richard Bolling, 39, was given the test that showed his blood-alcohol level at .079, just short of the .08 legal limit, authorities said.
A police spokesman wouldn't coment on Bolling's test, saying it was part of an internal investigation.
On Sunday, a judge set bail at $2 million for Bolling, who was charged in the drunken driving crash that killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker.
The bond hearing was held earlier than its scheduled time at noon, and because of the time change, the boy's family missed it.
“We had no idea they went at 11 o’clock,” said Booker's mother, who declined to give her name. "We’re his parents. We just lost our son. Let’s just hope justice is served.”
The officer’s attorney and family declined to comment.
Witnesses saw Bolling at a bar in the vicinity of 55th and Indiana before his car struck Trenton at the intersection of 81st and Ashland around 1:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office. He was off-duty at the time.
Patrol officers arrested Bolling a few blocks away when they noticed he was driving the wrong way on a one-way street in the 1900 block of West 82nd Street, authorities said. Inside Bolling's Dodge Charger, officers discovered an open bottle of beer, the state’s attorney said.
Bolling, a 17-year department veteran currently serving in a tactical narcotics unit, was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident where a death or injury occurred, driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street and transportation of alcohol, authorities said.
He has been stripped of his police powers.
For now, Bolling remains at the Cook County jail.
First Published: May 25, 2009 7:07 AM CST
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