Chicago police supervisor retires while facing demotion for failing to respond to fatal crash near House of Blues
An off-duty Chicago police officer was driving near the House of Blues on State Street when she struck and killed a pedestrian, according to a police report and sources.
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A Chicago police supervisor retired while facing demotion for failing to respond to the scene of a fatal crash involving an off-duty cop earlier this month in River North, the Sun-Times has learned.
Street Deputy Frederick Melean was charged with overseeing the response to the collision early Dec. 8 in the 300 block of North State Street, where an officer had veered onto a sidewalk near the House of Blues after dropping her phone and taking her eyes off the road, according to a police report.
The officer crashed into two pedestrians from Texas, a 37-year-old woman and 56-year-old Maria Schwab. Schwab, who was on a work outing, was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while the other woman suffered minor injuries.
Schwab died from multiple injuries from the wreck and her death was ruled an accident, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Despite the serious — and potentially criminal — nature of the crash, Melean didn’t show up to assume control of the scene as required by a departmental order, according to law enforcement sources. That means he didn’t notify the Bureau of Internal Affairs, so no one from the department came to administer a Breathalyzer test to the other officer.
Melean, a longtime police official who previously served as deputy chief of Area One, tendered his resignation after it was clear he was being demoted, sources said. His retirement was effective on Dec. 12, a police spokesperson said.
He declined to comment.
The 40-year-old officer who was involved in the crash ultimately submitted to a blood test following the crash, sources said. She was coming from a holiday party for the Near North District.
A criminal probe is ongoing as investigators await the results of her blood tests and a formal report determining whether she was under the influence, one source said.
The Sun-Times isn’t naming the officer because she hasn’t been charged with a crime. She has been cited for negligent driving, driving while using a cellphone, failing to reduce her speed and failing to stay in her lane.
She was relieved of her police powers on the day of the crash and is now assigned to the department’s alternate response section, the police spokesperson said.
That same day, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office added the officer to its list of cops who will never be called to testify, records show.
Contributing: Frank Main