Authorities have announced charges against a Mundelein man who they say is believed to have been driving intoxicated and caused a crash that killed a mother of four in Boone County.
The Belvidere Police Department and Belvidere Fire and EMS responded around 8:20 p.m. Saturday to the area of Route 20 east of Farmington Way in Belvidere for a fatal crash.
Officers discovered a white 2004 Chevrolet Express van had struck a 2015 GMC Sierra.
Both vehicles sustained significant damage in the crash, police officials said.
Paramedics performed lifesaving efforts on a 44-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the Chevrolet.
The woman, identified as Sandra Brito Vazquez Villalba, 44, of Elgin, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jesus A. Mendoza-Paz, 37, of Mundelein, who was the driver of the Chevrolet van, was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and later released.
The driver of the GMC Sierra was examined and medically cleared at the scene.
Crash investigators were called to the scene to investigate the incident.
Police officials said detectives noted signs of impairment from Mendoza-Paz and began an investigation for driving under the influence.
Detectives reviewed their investigation with the Boone County Stateโs Attorneyโs Office which authorized charges of reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony.
Mendoza-Paz was transported to the Boone County Jail where he is being held pending trial. He faces two to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections if convicted of the current charges.
Police officials said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.
An obituary for Vazquez Villalba said the woman was a mother of four children and a grandmother to two grandchildren. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday.
Anyone with information on the fatal crash that could assist in the investigation is asked to contact the Belvidere Police Department at 815- 544-2135 or Boone County Crime Stoppers at 815-547-7867.