James Corralejo: DUI Crash, Four-Year Sentence, and Victim

Former South Holland police officer James M. Corralejo was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to four years in prison for an off-duty DUI crash that killed 59-year-old grandmother Graciela Reza Contreras in DeKalb, Illinois. The James Corralejo DUI crash happened in the early morning of November 5, 2023, and he pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one Class 2 felony count of aggravated driving under the influence causing death.¹

What Happened the Night of the Crash

At about 12:57 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, 2023, DeKalb police and fire crews responded to a two-vehicle collision on South Seventh Street near the 1200 block.² Corralejo, then 25, drove his truck into a car carrying Reza Contreras and three family members, including a 10-year-old child. They were returning from a birthday party in Chicago and were a block from their DeKalb home when the crash occurred.³

Reza Contreras was taken to a hospital in Rockford, where she died from her injuries. The three other passengers suffered minor injuries.⁴

Illinois State Police lab testing put Corralejo’s blood alcohol level at 0.15, nearly double the state’s 0.08 limit. He later acknowledged buying a small bottle of whiskey that day and turning down offers of safer rides home.⁵

Charges and Guilty Plea

DeKalb police initially charged Corralejo with three offenses: reckless homicide (a felony), aggravated DUI causing death (a felony), and driving under the influence of alcohol.² He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and released on pretrial conditions on November 7, 2023, that barred him from driving or drinking.⁵

On May 7, 2025, Corralejo pleaded guilty to one Class 2 felony count of aggravated DUI causing death.¹ Under Illinois law, that charge carries a sentencing range of three to 14 years in prison.⁵

The Four-Year Sentence

Sentencing took place on July 17, 2025, before DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery in Sycamore. Prosecutors from the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, led by Scott Schwertley, asked for 10 years. Defense attorney Gary Johnson sought probation, pointing to Corralejo’s lack of prior criminal record, his status as a 26-year-old father, and steps he had taken since the crash, including Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, church attendance, and therapy for depression and anxiety.⁵

Two of Reza Contreras’s daughters, Lorena Flores and Flor Reyes, addressed the court. Flores told Corralejo her mother “did not deserve to be taken from the world the way that she did by you, an irresponsible drunk driver, an irresponsible off-duty police officer who should have known better.”⁵

Judge Montgomery imposed four years, below the state’s request and above the defense’s. “You’re a policeman of all things,” the judge said. “You should have known better. And for that, you will have to pay a price.”⁵ Corralejo received credit for two days already served in the DeKalb County Jail and must serve at least 85 percent of the four-year term before becoming eligible for release.

His Status as a Police Officer

At the time of the crash, Corralejo had been a patrol officer with the South Holland Police Department, a suburban Cook County agency, for roughly two years and eight months.⁶ The department put him on administrative leave shortly after the crash and opened an internal investigation. In a public statement, South Holland said the circumstances “appear to fall far short” of the standard expected of employees even when off duty.⁴ By the time he entered his guilty plea in May 2025, he was no longer employed there.¹

Under Illinois law, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board can decertify officers convicted of felonies or certain misdemeanors classified as crimes of moral turpitude. DUI is not currently on that misdemeanor list, but Corralejo’s conviction is a felony, which can independently trigger decertification proceedings.⁷

Who Graciela Reza Contreras Was

Graciela “Chela” Reza Contreras was born on May 3, 1964, in El Paso Nacional, Durango, Mexico, and moved to DeKalb in 2006. She worked at Portillo’s in Sycamore for about 20 years, where she was known for making the restaurant’s chocolate cakes. She leaves behind three children, Lorena Reza, Flor Reyes, and Roberto Avalos, and four grandchildren.³ On the night she was killed, the family was returning from a sixth-birthday party for her grandson Sebastian.⁵

1
Shaw Local News Network. Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to DUI Crash That Killed DeKalb Woman
2
City of DeKalb. DeKalb Police Department Press Release
3
Shaw Local News Network. Family Mourns DeKalb Woman Killed in DUI Crash
4
ABC 7 Chicago. Off-Duty South Holland Police Officer Charged in Fatal DeKalb Crash
5
Shaw Local News Network. Ex-Cop Gets 4 Years for DUI Crash That Killed DeKalb Woman
6
Chicago Tribune. South Holland Police Officer Charged in Fatal DeKalb Crash Placed on Leave
7
Capitol News Illinois. In Sangamon County, Grayson Wasn’t the Only Deputy Hired With a DUI on His Record