Just before midnight on Friday, November 5th, Galesburg Police were out with a wrecked vehicle near the intersection of Haynor and Division Streets waiting on a tow truck. As officers were waiting, one officer sat in his patrol car parked off to the side of the road speaking with another officer who was standing near the driver-side door of the squad car. As officers spoke, a fast-approaching vehicle driven by 32-year old Essie Stingley of Galesburg sped past the officers striking the officer standing near the patrol car. As the officer attempted to jump up on the patrol car, the passing sedan struck him in the leg causing him to fly over the hood and onto the ground. Additional officers stopped the sedan and made contact with Stingley who said she was trying to get to the scene of the accident that her family was involved in. A very apologetic Stingley admitted that she didn’t even realize she struck a police officer with her car. Police had Stingley perform a portion of a field sobriety test which they observed her not to be intoxicated. She was taken into custody and charged with Driving While License is Suspended, Reckless Driving, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. The officer that was struck was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center due to his right leg feeling numb, according to police reports.
