Thank you Mayor. I hope they are listening.

Why aren't they releasing the name of the driver? Something smells VERY fishy! If this had happened elsewhere....

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/05/highland-park-mayor-frustrated-by-deadly-crash-investigation/

Charges have been filed....

http://chicagotribune.com/#section/545/article/p2p-72109550/

It is great to know that we have a mayor that will stand up for our citizens no matter who they are. Thank you

Hmmm, Facebook tells so many stories. The mayor is friends with Rousso family members.

Why wasn't this teenage driver arrested at the scene? Why did she have 2 days of freedom instead of sitting in lock-up at the police department? Could be cause she's a white girl with rich parents?

A mayor telling a State's Attorney's office how to criminally charge someone. PRICELESS. Mayor Nancy needs to let experienced people do their job. When the facts of this case are finally known to the public, you will all learn this was not your typical impaired driver arrest. The case provided a very unique, difficult situation. The State's Attorney's office took their time to get it right the first time. Good for them. She was in police custody the entire time....even while at the hospital. Keep in mind, would the family be happy if she was charged the day of the incident, only to lose the trial because they rushed to charge her overlooking something????

But she was released from the hospital and sent home. I would imagine there were not police sitting outside her bedroom making sure she didnt flee

I agree the mayor needs to do her job not fan the fire from North Carolina. Let the police and Lake County States Attorney do their jobs. The mayor is a big supporter of Chris Kennedy who is the democratic candidate for Lake County States Attorney. Sad that the mayor would turn this horrible event into a political endorsement. Shame on you.

Sorry but they arrest you when you get DUI.........they dont wait for bloodtests or for you to go to hospital to sober up.

Something is not right here. At a minimum this girl should have been processed (finger printed and picture) and let go on personal bond after sitting in jail for a few hours. But that did not happen, WHY NOT?

When this girl was arrested for pot in Jan 2010, she apparently went to rehab. I want everyone to google her name and then twitter. Check her twitter account, because what she has on there will make lots of people mad, but it also could be used against her in court. This is what she wrote: "Best drunk driver in drivers ed class. I'm proud to present your designated drunk driver." Disturbing... utterly disturbing.

yikes anyone look at this girls twitter or myspace??? very very scary all the warning signs were there for a parent to see,,

Yes her twitter and my space are very creepy

Mark,

please re-read my post, critically think and then post. If you don't do those things, you look like a fool.

Carley Rousso should be held accountable for her actions, which took the life of another and injured others. The police and states attorney's office have played favoritism in this case. Citizens without the power or influence of money are detained for hours just for suspicion of driving under the influence. I have no faith in the Lake County States Attorney’s office ability to treat all by the same set of standards. For more than 48 hours Carley was allowed to drive. Shame on them for not protecting the safety and rights of all those in the community. I feel helpless. The little money I can offer the family who has suffered such loss will not bring them justice. This community will not heal when those with money are not required to accept the consequences for their behavior. I'm happy the Mayor made a statement representing all those who feel they do not have a voice. However, I’m not appeased by the minor DUI charged. Much more must be done before my faith in the State’s Attorney’s Office and the Highland Park Police Department is restored.

Get a grip Katie. When the Tox reports come back more charges will be filed. Doing the job right is the goal of the police and States Atttorney office. Too many people want instant gratification. They are handling the case properly.

Complex situation cause she was using k2 so she wouldn't drop dirty???

I applaud the Mayor and City Council for voicing the frustration many in the community have relative to the initial handling by the Lake County State’s Attorney. I believe that concern is being voiced much more relative to them being parents and part of our community than any political overtones.

Do your homework, people, and you'll find that Rousso's father is, indeed, a pretty well-to-do information technology consultant/salesman and highly educated. Rousso's mother is executive director of our well-respected The Art Center of Highland Park. They probably had to post bail and pick up their darling Carly at the police station, did it with a big lawyer, and probably whipped up a frenzy of pressure on the police department to keep it hush-hush. As for the lame State's Atty., who knows.

I would bet $100 that Mayor Rotering was NOT involved in this. I would bet that even though she possibly knows the Rousso parents personally, that she kept her nose out of this. Knowing Mayor Nancy/Mayor Rotering for some years, I've always been impressed by her sense of what is right, sense to know where the line is and how to stay on the correct side of it, how to best serve the community (did she ever, ever give you the sense that she's a vote hunter???? Never.) and the City as a whole. Even if she was a Rahmobama and self-serving (she's quite the opposite) in the name of the people, what she did for Jaclyn's family AND for our community was right. Let's applaud our mayor for doing her job like a true leader should.

Why are you surprised?

After we moved to Highland Park, we expressed our wonder that, at least according to the police blotter in the paper, not one non-Hispanic named person with a Highland Park address has ever been arrested for drunk driving, although numerous Hispanics and many people with North Chicago and Waukegan addresses seemed to be constantly picked up. A friend advised us that, if you are lawyered up, one phone call keeps your name out of the public record. If there was indeed a charge on Monday, you can believe that call was made. The difference in this case was the death of an innocent child and the presence of multiple witnesses.

And, while the cash contributions to the family are laudable and no doubt heartfelt, before anyone strains a shoulder muscle patting themselves on the back about the generous community support, lets keep in mind that the car involved in the accident costs more than the amount raised (at least to date) and it will no doubt be replaced long before the financial costs to this family have been fully met, and their emotional well-being can never be restored.

For another measure of where community feeling lies, there was this conversation overheard at a supermarket near the accident site:
"Did you hear about the accident?"
"Yes, wasn't it awful?"
"That poor girl -- she'll have to live with this memory."
"How terrible for her."
Conversation moved to another topic.

I find it interesting that the Mayor does not make ONE mention of the HP Police in her letter. They did have the time and the right to ticket this person AND hold her for 24 hrs. Additionally, they can up the charges after the original ticket. I do not see that this is being mentioned. However, this town has become so political it is ridiculous. I once had an officer tell me that he had to move from a location where he was giving tickets because too many people called the station to complain.

I agree Ellen. My guess is that she did it all for political reasons. She is a big supporter of Chris Kennedy who is running for Lake County States Attorney.

Mr. Perez, the entire community is in grief, we wish this did not occur. No matter how upset you are, consider the following. DUI includes alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs taken with OR without an Rx from a doctor and combinations of the above, Yes, a legal Rx that produces drowsiness can be a cause of an arrest for DUI. If someone is under the influence of a drug, it is quite difficult to assess immediately. Blood, urine, saliva and/or hair analysis is needed. If that was the case, samples would have been taken and an arrest made later. No doctor or policeman can determine for sure if someone is under the influence of cocaine for example immediately. There can be suspicions made from examination of eye movements and pupil responses, but those are merely educated guesses. Chemical tests are needed. In the end, an arrest was made but no one knows which substance was found. It may be a legal Rx that the driver was just started on. We all need to be patient and let this unfold. In the end, let's hope the greater community learns from this tragedy because it seems that the North Shore is awash in drugs and alcohol.

If the driver was ticketed by the Highland Park Police on Monday, as per http://highlandpark.patch.com/articles/rousso-cited-with-dui-days-before-her-name-was-released , why was this a State's Attorney issue?

Lou, Don't you think it was a poor choice of the Rousso's to give their daughter acess to a vehicle when they knew she had a substance abuse problems? She didn't buy that car on her own and I would bet she didn't pay for the insurance on it either.

Thank you Mayor Rotering for saying what needed to be said.

I bet she was high on x or something..........very sad,they gave her a break,you don't give breaks when people die.....period.

Katie, I have been hit four times by drunk drivers.The last time was in July, he was a 3rd time DUI! The prior crash knocked my family off a highway.DUI surrounds us.Over the years, I realized my anger toward these anesthetized drivers was a total waste of my energy and sleep, the BEST solution to the nation's drunk driving problem is to attempt to prevent DUI.A combination of education, massive publicity about substances, rehabilitation, and a guarantee of LOSS of driving privileges for a LONG time is the solution.Government's efforts should be directed toward the millions of drivers who could drink at any bar, home, golf course or you name it.As most drivers DENY in their minds that they could cause a death, telling them over and over again that they could kill is a total waste of time.Speeding could also kill, but look at how many pass you at 80 mph, texting or talking.Young drivers especially are quite resistant to anything an adult says, so a better way to reach those fun loving minds is to promise them a guarantee to RESCIND their driver's license if they ever drive under the influence. And make that loss of license for 10 years. And make it real.That will get the attention of ALL drivers, young ones in particular, "Like dude, how will I date if I don't have the keys?" Each potential DUI driver must expect loss of license, that is the best way to reduce the # of DUI deaths.I wish this tragedy in HP never occurred,there are way too many DUI drivers out there, I know.