Driver charged after almost rear-ending Batavia police car

BATAVIA – A Norridge man was charged with felony aggravated assault of a police officer by allegedly almost rear-ending a squad car, according to Batavia police report released following a Freedom of Information Act request.

Jacob P. Levine, 24, of the 4800 block of North Vine Avenue, Norridge, was also charged Sept. 3 with felony possession of a controlled substance – cocaine – and misdemeanor charges of speeding 26 to 34 miles an hour over the limit, speeding, following too closely and driving an uninsured vehicle, according to court and police records.

Levine was released on his own recognizance and is to appear in court Sept. 28, records show.

Batavia police noticed Levine’s 2006 silver Mercury Mountaineer at 1:16 a.m. Sept. 3 traveling north on South Batavia Avenue near the intersection with Sycamore Road, as it “came dangerously close to my rear bumper,” the report stated.

Levine’s speed was clocked at 60 miles an hour in a 40-mph zone, the report stated.

The two vehicles were the only two on the road and “no obstructions that would hinder the defendant from observing a vehicle directly in front of him,” the report stated. “Additionally, my marked police car has reflective tape and operational taillights in the rear.”

The officer sped up, then asked for additional officers to the area, stating, “I think I had a car just try and rear-end me,” the report stated.

The most serious charge Levine faces is aggravated assault of a police officer, a Class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison and fines up to $25,000, if convicted.

The cocaine possession charge is a Class 4 felony, punishable by one to three years in prison and fines up to $25,000, if convicted.

Levine had no attorney listed in court records and attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.