Judge declines to revoke bond in fatal DUI case in Munster
By Ruth Ann Krause Post-Tribune correspondent October 24, 2012 8:08PM
Updated: November 26, 2012 7:18AM
A deputy prosecutor will again ask a Lake County judge to revoke the bond for a Munster man charged with killing someone while driving drunk.
Lake Superior Court Judge Clarence Murray ruled that Michael Temores, who has a prior drunken driving conviction, will remain free on $10,000 cash bond in ruling that Temores did not pose a public threat when he backed his car in a driveway a few feet.
The judge, however, will hear additional testimony on Nov. 2 that deputy prosecutor Sabrina Haney argued in a filing shows that Temores violated the terms of his bail agreement by driving on the public street.
Temores, 25, of Munster, has pleaded not guilty to causing death while operating while intoxicated with at least a 0.15 percent blood-alcohol level and other charges filed in the Dec. 30, 2011, crash at Ridge Road and Hohman Avenue in Munster that killed Fred Skafgaard, 61, of Lansing, Ill.
At a hearing Wednesday, Munster police Patrolman Nolan Archer said on Aug. 31 he was near Temores’ home when he saw Temores drive a black Cadillac Escalade in reverse 5 to 10 feet in the driveway.
Temores stopped, got out of the SUV and walked to the back of his house. Archer said he pulled into a nearby church parking lot and waited 10 to 15 minutes to see if Temores came outside and drove, but Temores did not emerge from the home.
Defense attorney Steve Mullins argued that Temores did not violate the judge’s July 6 order because he was not driving on the public roadway and posed no danger to the community.
Mullins said his client moved the vehicle because he was selling it after the judge terminated Temores’ driving privileges.
At the Nov. 2 hearing, Murray will most likely hear testimony from a Munster police officer who saw Temores driving a blue Hummer on Sept. 16 near his home in the 8600 block of Calumet Avenue, according to the state’s motion to revoke bond.
Mullins said he hadn’t had adequate time to prepare a response to the state’s allegation.
Murray said he did not think moving a car in the driveway affected the safety of the general public.
“If he puts a vehicle on a public road and drives it, I’ll put him back in jail and revoke his bond,” the judge said.
