Fleeing Joliet Criminal Who Caused Major Wreck, Injuring 2 Innocents, Sentenced To Prison, But Does No Time

JOLIET, IL — It took him two and a half years to bring his latest criminal case to a close, but Plainfield's Mohammed Nakhelh has been sentenced to prison — on paper that is — for causing a horrific crash in January 2024 near the Interstate 55 exit on Plainfield Road that ended the career of Joliet police officer Alfonso Sanchez, who was fired because of it.

According to the terms of his plea bargain with Will County prosecutors, Nakhleh pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a weapon/firearm and a misdemeanor crime of fleeing attempting to elude a police officer. He was technically sentenced to four years at the Illinois Department of Corrections, but prison records show that Nakhleh was given turnaround time. In other words, he was processed at the DOC, granted parole, and immediately set free.

A similar sentencing situation played itself last December when Will County Judge Jessica Colon-Sayre agreed to sentence Denise O'Malley, 60, to six years at the Illinois Department of Corrections in connection with the near-fatal shooting of her husband John O'Malley at the family's home in the Plainfield area as he watched a Chicago Bears game on TV.

Her attorney Jeff Tomczak explained that his client only needed to be sent to the women's prison in Logan for inmate processing and that she would return to Joliet, likely in two or three days.

As for Nakhleh, he was given time served credits of 865 days even though Nakhelh only actually served a month in the Will County Jail following his January 2024 Joliet police arrest plus another full week he served at the time of his plea bargain this past May.

He is 34 years old now and lives on Plainfield's 2300 block of Irvine Lane. At first, he faced 10 criminal charges.

Crash Near Mall Injures Couple In Their 20s

Back in January 2024, Joliet Patch reported that 31-year-old Nakhleh crashed into another couple's vehicle near the Interstate 55 on-ramp by the Louis Joliet Mall, seriously injuring the 26-year-old Villa Park man and his 25-year-old Plainfield female passenger.

As for Officer Alfonso Sanchez, he was patrolling for Joliet police even though he himself had a revoked or suspended driver's license; Sanchez also ignored and disobeyed orders from Joliet police supervisors who called off the Jan. 7, 2024 nighttime police pursuit.

According to one of the three personal injury lawsuits that are still pending in Will County, Officer Jorge Trujillo saw a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S 580, driven by criminal defendant Nakhleh, driving westbound on Caton Farm Road. The officer saw the driver commit a traffic violation for failing to signal while turning on to Pebble Beach Drive.

After the Mercedes reached a high rate of speed and turned eastbound along Vermette Circle, Joliet Police Sgt. Bill Otis ordered Officer Trujillo to terminate the pursuit, which is exactly what the officer did.

Meanwhile, one minute after Sgt. Otis notified all officers over the police radio to terminate the pursuit, Officer Sanchez saw the Mercedes near Bronk Road.

Officer Sanchez made a U-turn and chased after the Mercedes along Caton Farm Road and "Sanchez did not activate his emergency lights and or siren during this pursuit," one of the lawsuits said.

Officer Sanchez traveled in excess of 80 mph in a 30-mph zone heading east on Caton Farm and then on to the northbound West Frontage Road. The young officer did not activate his emergency lights, and in fact, he turned off his headlights and tail lights.

With Officer Sanchez in close pursuit, the fleeing Mercedes accelerated at a high rate of speed and sped on to Plainfield Road, which is Route 30, "and within seconds" collided with a 2024 Chevy Equinox owned and driven by Kasey Artrip, who was driving west on Plainfield Road, the lawsuit said. He and passenger Abigail Barrow were injured.

At the time of his arrest and Will County Jail detention, Nakhleh was charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of ammunition, resisting and obstructing an officer and driving with a revoked license. He was also cited for failure to signal while turning and two counts of disobeying a stop sign.

In October 2024, Police Chief Bill Evans announced his intentions of firing Officer Sanchez from the Joliet police force. The firing was finalized by the police and board in 2025.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Another Lawsuit For Joliet: Criminal Defendant Makes It No. 3

Joliet Cop With Revoked License Sued By 2 Hurt In Crash Near Mall