Chicago machinist Andrezej Piotrowicz fled his Polish homeland nearly 15 years ago after being accused of a DUI crash that killed two 17-year-old girls, the Chicago Tribune reported. US marshals arrested Mr. Piotrowicz in the Belmont Heights neighborhood last November and now he faces possible extradition to Poland to face criminal charges.
Records cited by reporters show that he obtained an Illinois driver's license on May 31, 1996, even though he was arrested on suspicion of a Chicago-area DUI just one year earlier.
Mr. Piotrowicz, now 35, was 20 years old when the incident happened, according to translated court records cited by the Tribune. He allegedly drove two teenage girls home from a disco in the town Ustka one evening in 1994. Allegedly drunk and speeding, his car skidded off the road and hit a tree, killing his passengers Patrycja Kaczmarczyk and Malgorzata Osiak.
A federal judge is expected to rule on the extradition request soon but no solid date was mentioned.
There is probably not much an Illinois DUI attorney can do for him, since this case involves Polish law. Still, Chicago DUI lawyer Michael Ettinger is challenging Mr. Piotrowicz's extradition by arguing that the 10-year statute of limitations ran out in 2004. The Polish government, meanwhile, contends that it has until 2019 to formally prosecute him since he was arrested by marshals in 2009.
In other words, the Polish government and assistant US Attorney Kenneth Yeadon (who worked on the case) say the main reason so many years lapsed is because he evaded prosecution. They argue that he should not be given a pass for fleeing the country.
Mr. Piotrowicz's blood alcohol concentration was an astounding 1.23 percent after the accident, based on the results of blood drawn at the hospital. That's six times the legal limit in Poland and 15 times the legal limit in Illinois.
Related Resources:
- Extradition (LawBrain)
- Roman Polanski, Sordid Charges and a Troubled Trial (FindLaw Blotter)
- What to Expect from a DUI Arrest (FindLaw)
- Search Chicago DUI Attorneys (FindLaw)
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