A 56-year-old man charged with leaving the scene of an accident in which a Joliet police officer died was released from Will County Jail this week after his relatives posted 10 percent of $400,000 bail, his attorney said.
Juan Cervantes, of the 300 block of Herkimer Street in Joliet must appear in court on Sept. 17, said attorney George Lenard.
Lenard had asked a judge to reduce the bail, saying that such a high amount was set only because a police officer died in the car accident. Prosecutors argued against a reduction, saying Cervantes was a flight risk.
Last month, Joliet Patrol Officer Jonathan Walsh was killed after his squad car struck the back of Cervantes’ vehicle, which was leaving a private drive on Maple Street in Joliet, then hit a construction crane. Cervantes was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, driving on a revoked license and failure to yield.
Lenard said he expects Cervantes to appear for every court date. “If he doesn’t, they’d lose a lot of money,” Lenard said of Cervantes’ relatives.
