Mundelein driver charged in hit-and-run that killed Deerfield school board member
A Mundelein woman was charged Friday in the June fatal hit-and-run of a Deerfield school board member in Highland Park.
Melanie A. Hass, 41, of the 26100 block of Acorn Lane, is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a Class 1 felony. She was taken to the Waukegan courthouse for a first appearance hearing Friday.
Highland Park police said Hass was driving the 2020 Jeep Wrangler that struck bicyclist Maureen Wener at 12:37 p.m. June 2 near Deerfield and Piccadilly roads in Highland Park. Authorities said Hass fled the area without rendering aid or reporting the collision to police.
Police announced the felony charge after an investigation with the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team and Lake County State's Attorney's Office. It also comes after Wener's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit last week against Hass.
Wener, 49, of Deerfield, was a member of the Deerfield Elementary District 109 school board since 2021, after having served on the Deerfield Public Library board since 2015.