Cicero woman charged with aggravated DUI in fatal Elmhurst crash

A Cicero woman is accused of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in connection with a weekend crash in Elmhurst that killed her fiance.

Alibet Mendoza, 33, of the 1500 block of South Austin Boulevard, has been charged with four felony counts of aggravated DUI-accident causing death, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and several misdemeanor traffic offenses, authorities said.

Mendoza was driving a Chevrolet Traverse SUV through a residential area around 1:50 a.m. Saturday when she crashed into a gravel pit in a construction zone in the area of Van Auken and North End avenues. The SUV struck a dumpster and then rolled down the gravel pit and hit a tree, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

The front seat passenger, 33-year-old Andrew Lewis of Cicero, was found unconscious in the vehicle and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At the time of the crash, Mendoza’s blood alcohol content was .176, more than two times the legal standard for intoxication, authorities said.

Authorities say Mendoza also had illegal narcotics in her system, including benzodiazepines, cocaine, cannabis and opiates.

According to the charges, Mendoza had 1.01 grams of cannabis wax in her purse and possessed eight pills that contained hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever.

“Like all alleged DUI cases, the case against Ms. Mendoza was 100% avoidable,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “As I have said many times before, if you have been drinking or for any other reason are not able to safely operate a motor vehicle, do not drive. It is a very simple idea and that is what makes cases such as this so frustrating.”

Mendoza is being held in the DuPage County jail on $500,000 bail. If she posts $50,000 and is released, she will have to wear an alcohol monitor.