Mahomet school board member charged in crash that hurt ISP trooper

KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) — A Mahomet-Seymour school board member has pleaded not guilty to hitting a parked Illinois State Police squad car in March.

Harold "Max" McComb appeared in Kankakee County court on November 5. Court records show he requested a jury trial. Jury selection will begin on January 29.

ISP says the crash happened March 1 on Interstate 57 near Chebanse.

An ISP trooper responded to a report of debris on the interstate at about 1:49 p.m. According to ISP, the trooper parked in the right lane and activated the emergency lights on the squad car. The trooper cleared the debris from the roadway, ISP says, and returned to the squad car.

A Lincoln SUV that failed to move over hit the squad car's rear, according to state police. The trooper was taken to a local hospital with injuries considered to be non-life threatening.

McComb, 66, was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and for violating Scott's Law—which requires drivers to slow down and change lanes whenever approaching a parked emergency vehicle with its lights flashing.

The Mahomet-Seymour Board of Education website says that McComb has served on the school board since 2007.

WAND News has reached out to McComb for comment.

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