Lake County prosecutors recently dropped a DUI charge against a Lake Zurich trustee as part of a plea deal following an incident in March, when he was accused of drunk driving, crashing into a tree near his home and abandoning his vehicle.
In exchange, trustee Jim Beaudoin accepted a guilty plea to reckless driving Tuesday, according to Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim.
Beaudoin, 46, who was charged this spring with DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, also received one year of probation, and he is prohibited from entering taverns or establishments that primarily sell alcohol during his probation, Nerheim said.
He has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, undergo drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment, as determined by a behavioral health services organization, and donate $1,500 to drug court, which is one of Lake County’s specialty courts, Nerheim said.
Beaudoin, who lives in the 500 block of Dunhill Drive in Lake Zurich, declined to comment on the plea deal and the case in general.
Village President Tom Poynton, who won re-election in 2017 after campaigning alongside Beaudoin on the Lake Zurich Proud slate, recently said he was glad to see the case resolved.
“I think he’s a quality guy and will move on from this,” Poynton said.
Beaudoin, who has lived in the village since 2000, was first elected to the Lake Zurich Village Board in 2013. His current term expires April 2021.
Poynton said he has “absolutely zero” concerns about Beaudoin being capable of carrying out his elected duties as village trustee. The March incident was an isolated one that involved an otherwise good guy, Poynton said.
“He’s a quality, thoughtful trustee,” he said. “He has been an asset to the community and I would expect him to continue in that way.”
Authorities have said Beaudoin crashed his car into a tree a few blocks from his home during the early evening of March 21 and then drove over a “No Outlet” traffic sign, which police later found in the back seat of his 2014 Audi A6, before abandoning the car and walking toward his home.
Police have said Beaudoin smelled of alcohol following the crash, was slurring his words and had bloodshot eyes when he was stopped near the scene at Prairie Lane and Cedar Road.
Police reports show officers asked him to perform field sobriety tests, but authorities redacted information about his response to that request. Police reports also were redacted concerning whether Beaudoin agreed to take a blood-alcohol test.
Both the airbag to the steering wheel of the car and knee bag were deployed and the vehicle showed “heavy front-end damage,” police have said. Beaudoin, who was identified by witnesses and was the only person in the vehicle at the time, declined medical treatment following the crash, police have said.
Based on the crash, witness statements, evidence at the scene, Beaudoin’s physical condition and the results of sobriety tests, he was arrested and later charged with DUI, police said.
Beaudoin, the senior trustee on the village board, has continued serving since the incident in March, including acting as the mayor pro tempore for at least one meeting in Poynton’s absence.
News-Sun reporter Jim Newton contributed.
Phil Rockrohr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
