A Waukegan man has been charged with DUI for a 2019 high-speed crash that left his 28-year-old friend dead near Gurnee, police said.
Timothy A. Sampson, 42, of the 0-100 block of South Dilger Avenue in Waukegan, was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death, a Class 2 felony.
Sampson was the driver of a 2001 Jaguar X that crashed on Route 41 north of Kilbourne Road near Gurnee around 1:30 a.m. August 9, 2019.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded to the incident.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said that the Jaguar was traveling northbound on Route 41 when Sampson lost control of the vehicle and it went off the roadway, striking a tree.
Police found the vehicle in the trees east of the roadway with heavy damage. Sampson and the passenger, Patrick P. Murdock, 28, of Beach Park, were both trapped in the vehicle.
Murdock, who was friends with Sampson, sustained significant injuries from the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, Covelli said.
Sampson was extricated from the vehicle by firefighters and transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team began an extensive investigation into the crash.
Investigators determined Sampson was operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Toxicology results, medical records, a full traffic crash reconstruction and other detailed information were gathered, Covelli said on Wednesday.
Investigators said that Sampson’s intoxication was the proximate cause of Murdock’s death.
Investigators met with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office who approved the felony charges and an arrest warrant was issued on January 15, 2020.
Police were unable to locate Sampson and the case was turned over to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Team.
Over a year later, they were able to locate Sampson at a residence in the 0-100 block of South Dilger Avenue in Waukegan on Friday and took him into custody without incident.