NBC 5 Investigates has learned that the driver blamed for causing the death of an Illinois State Trooper three weeks ago, had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.
Investigators say 44-year-old Dan Davies was driving the wrong way on the Tri-State tollway near Deerfield when he struck Illinois State Trooper Gerald Ellis in a horrific head-on crash March 30. Toxicology reports received Tuesday by the Lake County Coroner’s office showed his blood alcohol level at .169.
The tests also showed the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and the prescription medication Promethazine. That drug is used to relieve allergic reactions, and is sometimes used to treat symptoms of the common cold. Patients are cautioned that alcohol can exaggerate side-effects, including drowsiness.
Previously, NBC 5 reported Davies’ troubling driving history. Confined to a wheelchair since the nineties, he was known to operate a car using a cane to press the accelerator pedal. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office says he never had a driver’s license. And court records show Davies had been stopped by police in Cook County at least two dozen times.
Davies had one felony conviction for driving while drunk, and was being prosecuted for another incident last November. In that case, he had been found slumped over the wheel of his car on an entrance ramp to I-57.
Despite what officials described as a horrific driving history, Davies was granted a $3000 I-bond in the November case, meaning he posted no cash and was not placed in custody. The office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has refused to answer questions about why they never sought a higher bond to keep him from driving.
