According to published reports, a new judge will be appointed to the criminal case of Jose D. Rodriguez, 27, of Bloomington–the man accused of driving a van in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Bloomington. The Pantagraph reports that in the criminal case in McLean County Circuit Court on Friday, Judge William A. Yoder approved a motion by defense attorney Chris Gramm asking for a new judge in the case. Rodriguez is charged with failure to report an accident that resulted in a death, disregarding a traffic control device and driving without a valid driver’s license in the June 22nd incident that killed Corey Cottrell, 39 , of Normal. Earlier this month, Judge Yoder upped Rodriguez’s bond to $100,035 acknowledging that immigration officials were in the courtroom even though prosecutors had not requested the bump. Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charges. Meanwhile, the estate of the man killed in the crash filed a lawsuit against Rodriguez and the owner of the van.
