Joliet charged with DUI in crash that injured father, child no show at court

A Joliet man remains at large on charges accusing him of driving under the influence of alcohol in a crash that caused injury to another driver and his 2-year-old daughter.

Fabian Salgado, 40, who has a prior DUI conviction, was found by officers after he allegedly fled the scene of the crash on July 27 in Joliet, according to a court filing from Will County prosecutors.

Officers determined Salgado had been driving with a blood-alcohol concentration about twice the legal limit when his vehicle collided with another vehicle, court records show.

Salgado was arrested on probable cause of aggravated DUI and DUI. He was released from police custody after he was given a notice to appear in court on Aug. 15.

Salgado did not show up to the court that day. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Aug. 15 was the day prosecutors formally charged Salgado with aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm. They also filed a petition to deny his pretrial release from jail as well.

Prosecutors were seeking to keep Salgado in jail based on the aggravated DUI charge and Salgado’s past DUI conviction.

On Tuesday, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said aside from the original arrest, it appears the police have not arrested Salgado. He said Salgado’s whereabouts are unknown.

Asked why Salgado was released from police custody on a notice to appear, English said, “Officers based their decision on the charges and information available at the time of the incident, and pursuant to the Illinois SAFE-T Act.”

The July 27 crash involved Salgado’s Hyundai Santa Fe and a Ford Explorer driven by a 27-year-old man.

The driver’s face was “bloodied from the impact” and his daughter suffered a broken femur and a dislocated hip, according to prosecutors.

The child was not properly restrained in the car seat, according to prosecutors.

The 27-year-old driver had been issued citations for no child restraint and other traffic-related offenses. But court records on Tuesday did not show a traffic case filed against him.