A man was sentenced to 50 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to driving drunk and fleeing the scene of a rollover crash that left a victim injured and trapped near McHenry.
Mark S. Derengowski, 31, of McHenry, was charged in July 2022 with one count of leaving the scene of an accident with injury, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to give info or render aid and two counts of driving under the influence.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 9:04 p.m. on July 17, 2022, to the area of Riverside Drive and Kama Avenue in unincorporated McHenry.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communications Specialist Emily Matusek said at the time that deputies arrived to find a crash involving a Jeep Wrangler and a red Hyundai Sonata.
The Jeep had been traveling southbound on Riverside Drive when the Hyundai failed to yield while turning left.
The Hyundai struck the Jeep on the driver’s side, causing it to roll over multiple times, Matusek said.
A man inside the Jeep was injured and trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters had to extricate the victim, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the Hyundai fled the scene on foot but was located nearby a short time later.
Matusek said the suspect was identified as Derengowski, who was driving under the influence.
A police report said Derengowski had slurred speech, red and glassy eyes, could not keep balance while walking and had a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath. He also admitted to drinking.
Court records show Derengowski recently entered into a negotiated plea agreement with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an accident with injury, a Class 4 felony, and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class A misdemeanor.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis this week approved the plea deal and sentenced Derengowski to the agreed-upon terms of 50 days in the county jail and two years of probation.
He was also ordered to attend DUI school and a victim impact panel.