A man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty in a high-speed drunk driving crash that killed a 5-month-old baby and left other children injured in Barrington Hills.
Brayer Arias-Colazo, 30, of Carpentersville, was charged with eight counts of aggravated driving under the influence, reckless homicide and speeding 35 mph or more over the limit.
Court records show Arias-Colazo entered into a negotiated plea deal in November.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence causing death, a Class 2 felony.
The crash occurred around 7 p.m. on November 3, 2016, at the intersection of Route 25 and Silverstone Drive on the border of Algonquin and Barrington Hills.
The Barrington Hills Police Department said Arias-Colazo was traveling southbound on Route 25 in a 2001 Ford pickup truck.
The Ford crashed into a 2010 Dodge Journey, which was being driven by Gina Vargas, who was 32 years old at the time.
Vargas was traveling in the Dodge with three of her children, ages 8, 13 and 5 months old.
The 5-month-old baby, identified as Mercediz Lambert, died following the crash.
Vargas and her two other children were seriously injured.
Police said Arias-Colazo was driving under the influence of alcohol and was speeding 82 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the crash.
The Barrington Hills Police Department and Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team conducted a lengthy investigation into the case.
Arias-Colazo was charged in April 2018 in Kane County Circuit Court.
A sentencing hearing was held last Friday following Arias-Colazo’s guilty plea, court records show.
Kane County Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo Jr. sentenced Arias-Colazo to 54 months, or four years and six months, in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Arias-Colazo will also be required to pay over $4,800 in court fines and fees.
Arias-Colazo remains held in the Kane County Jail awaiting transport to a state prison.