Man Charged In Trooper's Death Failed To Complete Driver Safety Course In June: Records
WILMINGTON — Will County court records show that 69-year-old Wilmington resident John Fleet, the man authorities say struck and killed Illinois State Trooper Clay Carns on southbound Interstate 55 near Channahon, also failed to successfully complete his Will County court supervision this summer on a different traffic charge.
On Christmas Eve, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office of Jim Glasgow charged Fleet with a felony offense of a Scott’s Law violation in Carns’ death. Scott’s Law is also known as the “move over” law and requires motorists to slow down and move over for the safety of police and paramedics.
According to police, at around 9:42 p.m., Trooper Carns saw debris in a lane on southbound I-55 just north of Blodgett Road near Channahon, and he turned on his emergency lights, pulling over to the right shoulder. Trooper Carns got out of his vehicle and was standing in the lane grabbing the debris when the Chevrolet Silverado driven by Fleet struck him, state police said.
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Carns was taken to St. Joe’s hospital in Joliet, where he died of his injuries.
The crash isn’t Fleet’s first traffic charge in recent years.
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On Jan. 8 at 7:49 p.m., deputy Lou Harding of the Will County Sheriff’s Office issued Fleet a traffic ticket for speeding 15 to 20 mph over the limit. Fleet was driving a gray-colored 2020 Chevrolet pickup truck southbound on Route 53 near West Arsenal Road. The sheriff’s deputy determined Fleet was driving 75 mph in a 55-mph zone, court record show.
Back on Jan. 19, Fleet pleaded guilty to the speeding offense, court records indicate. A Will County judge sentenced Fleet to six months of court supervision and ordered him to complete a driver education school as part of his sentence.
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On June 28, Will County’s Circuit Clerk mailed Fleet a notice, court files show, informing Fleet that “your application for court supervision has been evaluated. The Will County Bar Association has informed this court that you have either failed to successfully complete the required four-hour driver safety program or did not qualify due to prior course attendance. Therefore, your application for court supervision has been denied.”
The Will County court files from June 28 involving Fleet declare, “Traffic Driver Safety Program Unsuccessful.”
On Nov. 21, 2019, Wilmington police pulled Fleet over on eastbound Bridge Street near Park Street for operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic communication device. Fleet pleaded guilty to that offense and Fleet was given six months of Will County court supervision and ordered to attend driver education school, court files show.
On Feb. 3, 2020, Fleet successfully completed his traffic driver safety program for the 2019 charge.
In 2017, Elwood Police Officer Ethan Anderson gave Fleet a warning for speeding and a traffic ticket for operating an uninsured motorcycle, court files note. The traffic stop happened on the southern stretch of Route 53 near Tehle Road.
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