Driver was allegedly high on benzos, cannabis in crash that killed ‘good friend’ in Gresham: prosecutors

A Schaumburg man was allegedly high on benzodiazepines and cannabis Sunday when he lost control of his car and hit a utility pole in Gresham, killing his passenger, according to prosecutors.

Stephen Nolan, 26, was accelerating in the oncoming lanes at a red light at Halsted and 85th street and didn’t attempt to slow down before crashing, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Deboni said Tuesday in a livestreamed bail hearing.

Nolan’s car went 180 degrees around the pole before stopping, Deboni said.

A witness found Nolan unconscious and locked in his vehicle, and tried yelling and banging on the door to wake him, Deboni said. He eventually woke up, stepped out of the car and wandered away momentarily, Deboni said.

Meanwhile, Nolan’s passenger, 26-year-old Caleb White, died in the passenger seat, officials said.

Nolan was hospitalized for observation and DUI testing, which found he had benzodiazepines and cannabinoids in his blood, Deboni said. Blood tests have not yet ruled how much THC was in his body.

The car’s black box revealed that Nolan was accelerating the entire time before the crash, and had reached 48 mph in a 30 mph zone, Deboni said. Officers allegedly found $4,581 in cash inside the vehicle.

Nolan, who was allegedly driving on a suspended license, faces a charge of reckless homicide and DUI.

His criminal history includes a 2017 DUI arrest in Las Vegas, Deboni said. In 2015, Nolan was cited for driving without a suspended license.

Nolan’s private attorney, Irving Federman, said the victim of the crash was a “good friend” of Nolan’s.

Nolan lives with his mother in Schaumburg, works maintenance at his godfather’s properties and was shot in his hand when he was 18 years old, Federman said. A graduate of South Shore High School, Nolan has six children, he said.

Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Nolan held on $25,000 bail, with electronic home monitoring as a condition of bond. He is due back in court July 13.

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