Police: Naperville man admits 2008 hit-and-run to victim’s sister
A 27-year-old Naperville man is being held on $1 million bail after making what police are calling one of the more unusual admissions they’ve seen to a 2008 hit-and-run accident that killed 20-year-old Melissa Lech of Joliet.
Police say David H. McCarthy IV, of the 1800 block of Cliffside Court, was arrested Sunday afternoon after visiting the home of Lech’s sister Michelle. They said he sat on Michelle’s couch and admitted to driving the vehicle that struck and killed Melissa.
He left after about 10 minutes and did not identify himself, police said. But Michelle Lech and her husband were able to give police a physical description of both McCarthy and his car and a partial license plate number.
Joliet Cmdr. Brian Benton said that information led to police catching up with McCarthy in his Naperville home soon after his visit to Michelle Lech’s home.
McCarthy is now charged with hit-and-run/leaving the scene of a personal injury or death accident.
“It’s safe to say he was expecting us, but he was also concerned about the criminal charges he now faces,” Benton said Monday. “It sounds like he felt making this admission to the sister was the right path to clear his conscience, but his concern about the criminal charges has caused him to be far less open and forthcoming to our investigators.”
Benton said Melissa Lech was killed about 12:20 a.m. Aug. 7, 2008, as she walked on McDonough Street west of Infantry Drive in Joliet. She was walking home from a sports bar after attending the day’s White Sox game with friends.
“Several witnesses arrived on the scene immediately after the incident, but none were able to directly identify the offender,” he said. “For the last 3½ years, we have done everything we could to keep Melissa’s memory alive, including a pretty aggressive media campaign this past summer that included (2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Nationwide Rookie of the Year) Kevin Conway putting Melissa’s picture and information on his car.”
Benton said in McCarthy’s admission to Lech, the man told the family he had seen and was moved by the “media blitz.”
“This is really unusual for a subject to go straight to the family in a case like this,” Benton said. “Typically they come to us with a lawyer or pastor to turn themselves in. We were just as shocked as anyone when we got the call.”
According to DuPage County court records, McCarthy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery in June 2009 and was sentenced to two years of probation and 142 days in jail for punching a male family member in the face and placing him in a headlock, causing a bloody nose and redness under his right eye.
In February 2011, McCarthy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving and was placed on a year of court supervision. He also was ordered to undergo counseling and attend a victim impact panel. He was initially charged at 3:15 a.m. March 27, 2010, in Naperville with DUI, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, reckless driving, improper lane usage and use of unsafe tires. When he pleaded guilty to reckless driving, the remaining charges were dismissed,
Messages left for Michelle Lech and McCarthy’s father, Naperville attorney David McCarthy III, were not returned Monday.
The investigation continues, however, and anyone with information regarding the accident should call Joliet police at (815) 724-3045 or Joliet Crime Stoppers at (800) 323-6734.
Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Josh Stockinger contributed to this report.