Will County Board member’s traffic case dismissed after witness fails to show for trial

A traffic case involving a Will County Board member who hit a bicyclist has been dismissed after the “complaining witness” did not show up to court on the day of trial, records show.

The case against Jacqueline Traynere initially was handled by Bolingbrook village prosecutor Edward Kusta before it was assigned to special prosecutor Bill Elward on April 8.

Elward was appointed after Traynere’s initial traffic citation of failure to yield at a crosswalk was amended to a state charge of failure to exercise due care to avoid a collision. It is considered a petty offense in Illinois.

A motion on April 7 from Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s office requested a special prosecutor.

“The grounds for the appointment of a special prosecutor is due to the defendant’s position as an elected official on the Will County Board and routinely consults with the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding legal matters,” according to the motion.

Traynere’s case was scheduled for a bench trial May 13, and the trial was continued to May 15.

On that day, Elward had made a “oral motion to continue,” which a Will County judge denied, according to the court docket in Traynere’s case.

The case was ordered dismissed because of “no complaining witness,” court records show.

In March, Bolingbrook police officials issued a statement saying that Traynere was cited for failure to yield in a crosswalk.

Traynere hit a bicycle being ridden by a juvenile as she was starting to make a left turn from a stop, according to a police statement.

The incident happened March 11, and the police statement was issued March 26 after media inquiries.

In an interview with The Herald-News, Traynere said it was a “minor traffic accident.”

“The boy was not injured. The only thing that was injured was the hood of my car by his handlebar. He refused medical treatment,” Traynere said.

A witness reported seeing a car driven by a woman strike a juvenile riding a bicycle through the intersection, police said.

“The caller advised that the woman exited her vehicle to check on the juvenile before leaving the scene,” police said.

Police said Traynere came to the police station to report the accident.

“Ms. Traynere reported that she was initiating a left-hand turn from a stopped position on southbound Lindsey [Lane] when she observed the juvenile fall from his bicycle. [She] stated that she checked on the juvenile to ensure his well-being,” police said.

“The investigation into the accident revealed that Ms. Traynere’s vehicle struck the juvenile’s bicycle, causing the juvenile to fall to the ground,” police said. “There were no reported injuries to either party.”