Chicago officer keeps memory alive
Several times weekly, Chicago Police Officer Steve shoups parks his patrol carl at the intersection of Belden and Lincoln Park West waiting for someone to blow a stop sign.
He'll stop the offender and hand them a ticket , but not before applynig a sticker to it that reads "REMEMBER MAYA! Maya was killed by a driver who failed to stop at a stop sign and yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. STOP AT STOP SIGNS! YIELD TO PEOPLE IN CROSSWALKS!"
It happened on May 20, 2006. Maya, who was just four-years-old, was with her family when they were crossing Lincoln Park West walking westbound from the Zoo, when a Lexus, which was headed northbound, blew the stop sign
There were 10 to 12 witnesses to the accident. They said they shouted at the driver, but he did not stop.
Shoup said that when he arrived at the accident scene it was chaos. The witnesses were shouting Ocean 21, Ocean 21. He didn't realize at first what they were talking about. But it was the license plate of the Lexus that struck Maya and her family.
Maya was rushed to Children's Memorial Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Shoup said him and another police officer broke down crying. "The one thing I can't handle in this job is seenig a child get hurt or die, " said Shoup.
Police were able to trace the car back to Michael Roth, 57 who lived on the far North Side of Chicago. He had a history of convictions for driving under the influence. In 1993 he was fined for blowing a stop sign and in 1994 he was fined again for improperly passing cars on a shoulder. He's been ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He also was convicted of an assault. He lost his license from 1984 to 1988, but at the time of the accident his license was valid. Roth denied driving the day that Maya was hit, but witnesses were able to identify him in a line-up.
Roth pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal accident and received an 8 year sentance. Rita Hochenbaum, Roth's cousin, understands the outrage surrounding his case.
1974, Roth was convited of robbery, in 2001 he was convicted of aggravated assaust for threatening his 80-year-old mother with a knife.
Roth's neighbors say he was kicked out of weekly poker games because he wanted to fight the elderly players.
For a short period Roth seemed to have turned his life around. He received a bachelor's degree from Domnican University and was working steady. But in his later years, he seemed to fall back into the old Roth.
HIs cousin said that he was devastated by taking Maya's life and by his mother's passing. His health deteriorated and he passed away on April 5, 2008.
On a Thursday morning this October, Shoup sits in his patrol car, grinning as he waves at preschoolers crossing Lincoln Park West. Since Maya's death, Shoup has issued about 35 tickets with the Remember Maya stickers.
Maya's father says that Shoup looks like a tough Chicago cop, but he's a softy. "He's a terrific example of someone who makes a difference in small but meaningful ways."
