A drunk driver who is responsible for severely injuring an Alton police officer in a car crash in 2005, is facing a new misdemeanor charge of driving on a revoked license. Sherwood was recently stopped and ticketed on June 1, as he was driving down Route 100 near an Amoco gas station in Grafton.
Sherwood is to appear in court on June 30, on the charge.
Jersey County State's Attorney Ben Goetten, said that the charge, in all likelihood will be upgraded to a felony. "We have every intention of upgrading this to a felony charge."
According to Goetten, the State's Attorney's Office examines such charges after reviewing reports of officers' responding to the accident in addition to reviewing the offender's driving and criminal histories.
Orval L. Sherwood, 28 of Brighton, was driving under the influence when his SUV slammed into an Alton's police officer's car seriously injury the officer.
On Dec. 19, 2005, Sherwood, was driving a Chevy Tahoe, in the wrong direction on the northbound side of Fosterburg Rd near Storey Lane. His SUV hit an Alton police patrol car head on after he passed a pick-up truck.
Sam Riney, a rookie with the Alton Police Department was on duty but not responding to a call, hen he was struck by Sherwood's vehicle.
Rescuers worked for over an hour to remove Riney from the wreckage. He sustained serious injuries including a fractured skull, brain injury, fracture nose, wrists, legs and ribs. Officer Riney was in a coma for several weeks following the accident.
Doctors did not know his progrnosis for months after the accident. Riney was able to go back to his full duties on Dec 18, 2006.
In 2006, Sherwood was sentenced to five years in prison. He entered an open plea to aggravated driving under the influence in which a personal injury is involved.
Sherwood served only 18 months of his five year sentence.
