A Round Lake Beach man has been sentenced to four years in prison for driving over three times the legal limit and causing a Christmas Eve crash near Lake Villa that resulted in the death of his friend.
Marcos Corona-Vargas, 32, pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death for his role in the December 24, 2024, crash in the 21300 block of West Engle Drive in unincorporated Lake Villa.
As part of the plea deal, Corone-Vargas will receive 301 days of credit for time already served in Lake County Jail while awaiting trial, court records show.
Additional charges of reckless homicide, aggravated DUI resulting in bodily harm and aggravated DUI resulting in death were dropped as part of the plea deal, court records show.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Corona-Vargas was behind the wheel of a Jeep when he crashed into a home around 7:25 p.m. on December 24, 2024.Â
Sheriff’s deputies who arrived on the scene after the crash found the Jeep and the home that had sustained major damage.
An investigation showed Corona-Vargas was driving the Jeep eastbound on West Engle Drive when his vehicle crossed into the westbound lane of traffic and then back into the eastbound lane, Covelli said.
Corona-Vargas drove off the roadway on the south side, into a yard, where the Jeep crashed into the home.
The home was unoccupied at the time of the crash, Covelli said.
Front seat passenger Axel Maldonado Guerrero, 22, of Round Lake Beach, was critically injured and pronounced dead at the scene.
Another 22-year-old Round Lake Beach man, who was sitting in one of the back seats, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital for treatment, Covelli said.
Corona-Vargas also suffered serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Corona-Vargas was released from the hospital a week after the crash and placed in the custody of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s traffic crash investigators determined Corona-Vargas was driving under the influence of alcohol, and lab results later showed Corona-Vargas was under the influence of THC, Covelli said.
Prosecutors also said beer cans were found inside the Jeep.
The seriously injured passenger told investigators they had been drinking at a friend’s house and that Corona-Vargas had a lot of beer — approximately five or six.
Prosecutors said Corona-Vargas admitted to driving 50-55 mph in a 30 mph zone after drinking beer.
He said he lost control of the car and that there was ice on the ground.
Corona-Vargas’s blood alcohol content was 0.27, over three times the legal limit, prosecutors said, adding that he had cannabis in his system.
Attorney Robert T. Ritacca said Corona-Vargas had approximately 14 staples in his head after being released from the hospital and needed to undergo spinal surgery.
Ritacca said Corona-Vargas’ family is close with the victim’s family, and Corona-Vargas’ family attended a funeral and celebration of life for the victim.
“This is an incident that is very, very sad, and it is an incident that is not with intent,” Ritacca said during a previous court hearing. “It was not intentional. It was an incident that could not be avoided at 6 o’clock at night Christmas Eve where he hit a patch of ice.”
Ritacca also previously said the victim may still be alive if the airbags had deployed in the Jeep.