Joliet Octogenarian Faced Multiple DUI Charges: Arthur Vidmar Has Died, Will County's Judges Notified

JOLIET, IL — Arthur Vidmar, the Joliet man in his 80s who was arrested by Joliet's Police Department last October and November in connection with multiple drunken driving offenses, has died, Will County's court system was notified. His charges included one in connection to a serious injury and property damage crash at the KFC restaurant on Larkin Avenue.

In November, when Vidmar was taken to St. Joe's hospital, only a few blocks away, Vidmar admitted he "drank a pint of vodka and had not eaten all day," prosecutors revealed. At the hospital, Vidmar told Joliet police "he did not know what happened and just woke up at the hospital." The hospital reported that Vidmar's serum level was 0.282, which converts to 0.238 using Illinois administrative codes, and that Vidmar did consent to the blood draw, court records state.

As a result of his death this summer at age 84, the Will County State's Attorney's Office notified the courthouse that it had dismissed its pending charges against Vidmar, which included the felony crime of aggravated DUI causing serious bodily injury.

Last week, a Will County judge received a copy of Vidmar's death certification and ordered the document impounded, meaning it's unavailable for public inspection.

Joliet Patch previously reported that the then-83-year-old man was arrested by Joliet police in November and October on DUI charges and his 4 p.m. Nov. 15 crash on Larkin Avenue left a 67-year-old woman with serious injuries, but that Vidmar would no longer be kept in the Will County Jail under the SAFE-T Act.

In late November, defense attorney Steven Haney managed to convince Will County's longest-serving judge, Amy Bertani-Tomczak, to rule in his client's favor. The Will County State's Attorney's Office had filed a petition seeking to deny pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act for Vidmar, but the judge ruled in favor of the Joliet octogenarian and ordered his release from the county jail facility on Nov. 25.

"He will never drive again. It's a positive for him and his family and Judge Bertani made sure there were substantial safeguards to make sure this does not happen again," Haney previously told Joliet Patch's editor.

Vidmar had remained in the Will County Jail since Joliet police booked him into custody on Nov. 15. Prosecutors charged him with multiple felony crimes of DUI following his crash that Joliet police say happened when Vidmar's pickup truck left the KFC drive-thru parking lot and hit part of the KFC restaurant, drove through the restaurant's landscaping, and collided with a 67-year-old motorist as she was stopped in traffic at the busy Oneida Street intersection with Larkin Avenue.

Joliet police also had arrested Vidmar the previous month on a different DUI incident, the agency said.

According to the obituary published by the Tezak's Funeral Home on Plainfield Road, Vidmar died on June 24 at the Lightways Hospice in Joliet.

"Arthur graduated from St. Joseph Grade School and Joliet Catholic High. He worked for many years as a laboratory technologist at Silver Cross Hospital and Cook County Hospital, where he was respected for his professionalism and commitment to patient care. Arthur also proudly volunteered with the Will County Emergency Management Agency, beginning in 1992, generously giving his time to assist his community whenever needed," his obituary noted.

"In 2022, Art was recognized with the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award, one of the highest honors a volunteer can receive. A devout Catholic, Arthur was a lifelong parishioner of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Joliet. His faith was central to his life and guided him in his relationships, work, and service to others."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Man, 83, Drank Pint Of Vodka, Crashed Into Joliet KFC, Seriously Injuring Woman, 67: Prosecutor