A grand jury has charged an Ingleside man with driving drugged and drunk while traveling the wrong way on Route 12 in Fox Lake, causing a head-on crash that killed a 21-year-old man.
Kevin C. Kaminski, 49, of Ingleside, was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing death and two counts of reckless homicide.
A Lake County grand jury returned the four-count indictment charging Kaminski on Wednesday.
The charges stem from a vehicle crash that occurred around 9:40 p.m. on August 24 at Route 12 between Route 59 and Route 134 in Fox Lake.
Fox Lake Police Chief Dawn DeServi said at the time that an investigation showed a black Cadillac SRX was traveling southbound on Route 12 in the northbound lanes.
The Cadillac, driven by Kaminski, struck a Ford work van, which was traveling northbound on Route 12, DeServi said.
Firefighters arrived to find the drivers of both vehicles were trapped inside and needed to be extricated.
Paramedics reported the driver of the Ford work van, later identified as Anthony Herrera, 21, of Wauconda, was unconscious.
Firefighters extricated both drivers and paramedics transported them to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Herrera was critically injured and died after arriving at the hospital, DeServi said.
Kaminski suffered various lacerations and possible fractures. He was listed as stable in the hospital following the crash.
DeServi said both drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) responded to assist the Fox Lake Police Department with the investigation.
Investigators worked for several hours at the scene reconstructing the crash.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Villa Police Department, Round Lake Beach Police Department and Round Lake Police Department responded to the area to assist with the road closures and traffic control.
The indictment said Kaminski was driving under the combined influence of drugs and alcohol.
Toxicology testing showed Kaminski had clonazepam and alcohol in his system, which rendered him incapable of safely driving a vehicle, the indictment said.
The indictment also said Kaminski acted in a reckless manner by driving intoxicated in the opposite lane of travel and failing to reduce his speed to avoid the crash, which led to Herrera’s death.
The charges against Kaminski carry up to 14 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections if convicted.
Kaminski has not been taken into custody yet and an arraignment hearing is scheduled for January 24.