Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run crash in Morton Grove, Illinois
A man has been indicted on felony charges in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 74-year-old man in June in Morton Grove, Illinois in June.
William Barkho, 39, of Niles, has been charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Police and prosecutors said, around 7:30 a.m. on June 26, Barkho was driving a gold or tan Chevrolet Equinox on Beckwith Road near Neenah Avenue in Morton Grove, when he hit 74-year-old Jonathan Friedman, who was walking on Beckwith Road.
Friedman was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Barkho fled the scene, and parked his car a few blocks away on Normandy Avenue, and walked to a nearby Walgreens, where he called a fmaily member to pick him up and take him to his father's house, according to Cook County prosecutors.
A Ring doorbell camera recorded Barkho's car speeding away from the scene of the crash, and the emblem from Barkho's Chevy was left behind at the scene. Police later found his abandoned car, with the emblem missing, and tracked Barkho down to his father's house.
On July 30, a Cook County grand jury indicted Barkho on one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
At his first court appearance on Aug. 13, a judge allowed him to remain free while he awaits trial, but ordered that he cannot drive while his case is pending.
Barkho is due back in court on Sept. 22.
This isn't the first time he's faced driving-related charges. In April, Barkho pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in a 2021 incident. In January 2015, he pleaded guilty to driving with a revoked or suspended license, and aggravated DUI with a suspended or revoked license.