A Vernon Hills man, who killed two innocent victims in a drunken driving crash in 2005, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to driving drunk again and causing a crash near McHenry.
Igors Kazakovs, 42, of Vernon Hills, was driving a Ford Edge in the area of South River Road and Charles J. Miller Road in unincorporated McHenry on November 9.
Kazakovs’ Ford rear-ended another vehicle, which was stopped at a red light, prosecutors said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the two-vehicle crash and met with Kazakovs.
Deputies observed Kazakovs to have slurred speech and an odor of alcohol coming from his person, prosecutors said.
Kazakovs admitted to drinking earlier in the day and he underwent standardized field sobriety testing.
He was placed under arrest after the tests and deputies found several mini bottles of liquor inside his car.
Prosecutors said Kazakovs was transported to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office where he provided a breath test that showed a 0.191 blood alcohol concentration, which is more than twice the legal limit.
Kazakovs was initially charged with only a misdemeanor offense of driving under the influence and released that day.
He was given a future court date of December 3 and the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed his criminal history prior to that court hearing.
They learned of his past offenses, including having been twice convicted of driving under the influence.
Kazakovs was intoxicated on New Year’s Day in 2005 when he hit a taxi, killing the driver and passenger, in Chicago, prosecutors said.
Kazakovs was sentenced to 16 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense.
His driver’s license was still revoked from the fatal crash when the most recent crash occurred in McHenry.
Prosecutors filed upgraded felony charges against Kazakovs, including aggravated driving under the influence third offense and aggravated driving under the influence with a previous reckless homicide conviction, after learning of his past criminal history.
Prosecutors also filed a petition to detain him pending trial, arguing that he was a danger to the community. A judge later granted the request.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said she was thankful that “another tragedy was avoided” in the most recent case and said that Kazakov’s actions demonstrate the need for “aggressive prosecution of those who selfishly endanger others” by driving under the influence of intoxicating substances.
Court records show Kazakovs entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office last week.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence third offense, a Class 2 felony, in exchange for his other charges being dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved of the plea and sentenced Kazakovs to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the agreement.
The state’s attorney’s office told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Kazakovs could have been sentenced to probation for the Class 2 felony conviction. The maximum he faced was seven years.
He will be required to serve 50% of the sentence in accordance with truth-in-sentencing guidelines. He will also receive 139 days of credit for time already served.