DeKalb man who was allegedly on drugs during crash that killed Deputy Christina Musil released with conditions

WATERMAN, Ill. - An Illinois man who was arrested and charged in a crash that killed a DeKalb County Sheriff's deputy last month has been released from custody.

Nathan P. Sweeney, 44, of DeKalb, faces reckless homicide and DUI charges. He was also issued citations for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane usage and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

The deadly crash occurred on March 28 around 10:40 p.m. on Illinois Route 23, just south of Perry Road, in Waterman.

According to the sheriff's office, the deputy was sitting inside a Ford Explorer squad car, parked on the right shoulder, when a single-unit Kenworth truck drove off the road and rear-ended the Ford.

The deputy was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died, the sheriff's office said. She was identified as 35-year-old Christina Musil, a five-year veteran of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office who served in the Corrections and Patrol Divisions.

Nathan Sweeney (left) 

Additionally, Musil served in the Army National Guard as a military police officer for four years and in Afghanistan from 2008-2009.

Illinois State Police (ISP) said the driver of the Kenworth truck, Sweeney, was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.

On Monday, Sweeney was released from custody after a judge set pretrial release conditions. 

"Obviously, we are very disappointed that Sweeney was released despite the Dekalb County States’ Attorney request to detain. This evaluation was made under the Pretrial Fairness Act, which went into effect 9/18/23, that was a part of the SAFE T Act passed in January 2021," the Illinois Sheriffs' Association wrote on Facebook.

FOX 32 Chicago reached out to the state's attorney's office and the sheriff's office for more details but has not yet heard back.