A Chicago-area police officer is patiently awaiting news on the status of his DUI case after key evidence was ruled inadmissible last month.

John Ardelean,36, was first charged with DUI and reckless homicide in connection with a Thanksgiving Day accident in 2007. 21-year-old Erick Lagunas and 22-year-old Miguel Flores both died when Ardelean sideswiped their vehicle. At the time of the accident, Ardelean was not examined for intoxication.

Hours later, his supervising officer noted signs of intoxication on Ardelean. He was then issued a BAC test. Fellow officers defended Ardelean, saying he was not drunk, despite surveillance video that later turned up from a local bar showing the suspect taking shots. He claimed the video, which was inconclusive, showed him drinking water.

The contents of the videos, however, were rendered inadmissible to the court when a judge determined there was not probable cause for investigators to gather either these videos or the breath sample from Ardelan. Both pieces of evidence were tossed from any pending trial. Without chemical BAC evidence, it is challenging for a prosecutor to prove intoxication beyond a reasonable doubt. 

In this most recent status hearing, the State's Attorney's office said it will not appeal the ruling that stripped it of this key evidence. The next status hearing will occur on June 4. It is unclear whether the charges will be lessened due to the exclusion of this evidence.