Elmhurst Police Department (/ Chicago Tribune)

       A Cicero woman was charged Tuesday in a car crash in which her fiancee was killed Saturday in a residential construction zone in Elmhurst.

       Alibet Mendoza, 33, of the 1500 block of S. Austin Blvd, Cicero, was charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence _ accident causing death, possession of a controlled substance and several misdemeanor traffic offenses. Mendoza’s bond was set at $500,000, with 10 % to apply, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth.

       At approximately, 1:53 a.m. Saturday, Elmhurst police officers responded to a single vehicle crash around Van Auken and North End in Elmhurst, according to a news release. The officers found a damage 2016 Chevrolet Traverse which had struck a tree.

       The front seat passenger, later identified as 33-year-old Andrew Lewis, was found in the vehicle unconscious and transported to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased as a result of injuries he sustained in the crash, the release said.

       Police allege that Mendoza was driving the vehicle when she crashed into a gravel pit, struck a dumpster and then rolled down the gravel pit ultimately striking the tree where the vehicle was found, according to the release. It is further alleged that Mendoza’s blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was .176 and that Mendoza had illegal narcotics in her system including benzodiazepines, cocaine, cannabis and opiates.

       “Like all alleged DUI cases, the case against Ms. Mendoza was 100% avoidable,” Berlin said in the release. “As I have said many times before, if you have been drinking or for any other reason are not able to safely operate a motor vehicle, do not drive. It is a very simple idea and that is what makes cases such as this so frustrating. The tragic death of Andrew Lewis and so many other DUI victims did not have to happen.”

       Mendoza’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 20, for arraignment in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell.

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