A Huntley man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for driving with alcohol and cocaine in his system and causing a crash that left a 76-year-old man, who was a father of three, dead in Lake in the Hills.
Jakub Kakietek, 42, of Huntley, was charged in July 2024 with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash involving death and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence third offense.
The charges stem from a vehicle crash that occurred around 5:04 p.m. on July 13, 2024, in the area of Pyott Road and East Oak Street in Lake in the Hills.
The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District responded and reported finding two vehicles involved with very heavy damage.
Lake in the Hills Police Department Public Information Officer Amanda Schmitt said a black 2012 Nissan Juke and a black 2007 Volkswagen Jetta collided south of the intersection.
The Nissan had been traveling southbound on Pyott Road and the Volkswagen had been traveling northbound on Pyott Road prior to the collision, Schmitt said.
Firefighters reported finding two people trapped in the wreckage.
The adult male passenger of the Volkswagen, later identified as Zdzislaw Klimentowski, 76, of Chicago, was pronounced dead at the scene, Schmitt said.
An autopsy performed showed Klimentowski died as a result of blunt trauma to various structures and organs, according to McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein.
The driver and sole occupant of the Nissan was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
Kakietek, the driver of the Volkswagen, was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley.
Schmitt said Kakietek was later arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class A misdemeanor, and issued an additional citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash before he was later charged with the felonies.
The female driver of the Nissan, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was later released from the hospital.
The Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) responded to assist officers at the crash site, Schmitt said.
An obituary for Klimentowski said he left behind a wife and three children.
“Zdzislaw will be missed by all who knew him. His love of traveling, history, telling stories, and his deep faith will be remembered,” the obituary said.
Court documents said Kakietek previously had two driving under the influence violations on his record with this incident being his third offense.
Court documents also said Kakietek’s driving under the influence was a proximate cause of the victim’s death in the crash.
Multiple emergency personnel reported smelling a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from Kakietek, according to McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Stephan Gregorowicz.
Gregorowicz said at an initial court hearing that Kakietek’s blood alcohol content was .206, which is almost three times the legal limit, but prosecutors said after his sentencing that his blood alcohol content was 0.116. He also had cocaine in his system.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Kakietek’s vehicle failing to maintain its lane prior to the crash.
Kakietek was taken into custody by police and transported to the McHenry County Jail. Prosecutors filed a petition to detain him pending trial, calling him a real and present threat to the community.
Kakietek was released from custody after a detention hearing where McHenry County Judge Carl Metz denied prosecutors’ petition to detain.
Court records show Kakietek entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office this week.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence causing death, a Class 2 felony.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt sentenced Kakietek to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the agreement.
The sentence will be served at 85% and he will receive 229 days of credit for time served on electronic monitoring.
“This is yet another tragic example where the results of drunk driving shatters families, futures, and lives. This man’s reckless decision to drink and drive took another’s life and created a lifetime of consequences for victims, loved ones, and himself,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said.