Man charged in Oklahoma death nabbed in New Lenox
By BRIAN STANLEY bstanley@stmedianetwork.com August 20, 2012 2:30PM
Updated: September 22, 2012 6:20AM
BEECHER — A driver who reportedly high on drugs when he killed a woman on an Oklahoma highway last fall has been arrested here.
John L. Sodomire, 31, is being held in the Will County Jail on a charge of first-degree manslaughter.
Around 11:25 a.m. Sept. 20, 2011, Sodomire was driving a pickup more than 90 mph on State Highway 58 when he crossed the center line, Major County Assistant District Attorney Danny Lohmann said.
“He’d nearly struck several other vehicles and hit an SUV that was heading into the ditch to avoid him,” Lohmann said.
The head-on collision killed Michelle Nichols, 46, of Ringwood. Sodomire was hospitalized with internal injuries, reports said. Neither driver was reportedly wearing a seat belt.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the crash and took a blood draw from Sodomire. Lab results took a while to process, but showed his blood had an intoxicating level of opiates from unprescribed medications, Lohmann said.
Reports said Sodomire is originally from Indiana and was in Oklahoma for a construction project at a wind farm. After the crash, he went to Maryland for similar work.
“His wife was in contact with our office from there, but since a warrant was issued April 23, we had not heard from them,” Lohmann said.
Phone records were among the clues that led investigators to believe Sodomire was recently living in New Lenox.
On Aug. 14, a police officer went to serve a warrant and learned he had moved to Beecher. Around 3:30 p.m. the New Lenox officer went to 262 Poplar Lane and found Sodomire.
Lohmann said he expects Sodomire will be extradited to Oklahoma on Wednesday.
