Christian County man facing DUI charges in connection to last week’s deadly crash

By Gary Scott on March 5, 2018 at 10:18am

The 19-year old from Christian County involved in the head-on crash that killed a Nokomis man last week has been charged with DUI.

Last Wednesday, WLDS/WEAI News reported on a fatal, two-vehicle crash just east of Rosamond involving a head-on collision between 19-year old Rosamond man and 61-year old man from Nokomis.

While the identities of the two men were unavailable immediately following the deadly crash, the names of those involved are now being released. According to Illinois State Police, 19-year old Owen Herbord has been released from the hospital and is facing charges of alleged driving under the influence in connection to the death of 61-year old Randal McElroy.

State Police reports say the two vehicles collided on Illinois Route 16, just east of Rosamond, at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities claim that Herbord was traveling westbound on Illinois Route 16 in a Ford F-350 when he crossed over into eastbound traffic and eventually striking McElroy’s Jeep Patriot head-on. McElroy was pronounced dead at the scene by the Christian County coroner.

In addition to the DUI allegations, Herbord was also cited for alleged possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle, failure to reduce speed, improper lane usage, driving while uninsured and failure to wear a seatbelt. Once in custody, Herbord reportedly also told police that he was using his cell phone at the time of the accident.

While Herbord currently faces a number of previously mentioned allegations, additional charges are still possible. Herbord is scheduled to appear in Christian County court on March 13th.