Mar 13, 2015
Title: Aggravated DUI Probation in Death Cases With Anthony Vaupel
Category: Podcast | Evidence --> Impeachment
Keyword: Aggravated DUI Probation
Illinois statutes allow for aggravated DUI probation in cases where a death results only in extraordinary circumstances. But what exactly is an extraordinary circumstance allowing for probation when someone is killed by a DUI driver?
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We are talking about a very specific section on the Illinois Traffic Code. An aggravated DUI probation refers to the the charge of aggravated DUI listed under 625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(1)(F) which references the sentencing provision located under 625 ILCS 5/11-501(d)(2)(G).
This aggravated DUI is described this way:
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“(1) Every person convicted of committing a violation of this Section shall be guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, or intoxicating compound or compounds, or any combination thereof if…(F) the person in committing a violation of subsection (a), was involved in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, or watercraft accident that resulted in the death of another person, when the violation of subsection (a) was the proximate cause of the death…” The sentence provision in question goes on to state that: “(G) A violation of subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) of this subsection (d) is a class 2 felony, for which the defendant, unless the court determines that extraordinary circumstances exist and require probation, shall be sentenced to: (i) a term of imprisonment of not less than 3 years and not more than 14 years if the violation resulted in the death of one person; or (ii) a term of imprisonment of not less than 6 years and not more than 28 years if the violation resulted in the deaths of 2 or more persons. These provisions in the law have always made me pessimistic that probation would ever be given by a judge sentencing an offender convicted of a DUI when there was a death involved. I personally have never seen probation actually granted in a real life case that I was involved with or that was handled by an attorney I was acquainted with. That is until I came across the research conducted by attorney Anthony W. Vaupel. Anthony did his homework on this issue and hunted down cases in the record where a trial judge actually did grant aggravated DUI probation in cases with a death. Anthony Vaupelis criminal law attorney. Tony is an attorney at Barash & Everett, LLC in Galesburg, Illinois. Tony authored the article “When DUI Causes Death: What ‘Extraordinary Circumstances’ Justify Probation?” Published by the Illinois Bar Journal. Members of the Illinois State Bar Association can link directly to the article here. Tony does a great job of highlighting the cases where probation was granted. Here are the cases cited in the article:
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Gomez This case involved a 17 year old who was drinking with his father. Dad told the defendant to drive because, of course, father was intoxicated. There was an accident that lead to the death of the dad. Burgess Defendant Burgess was a mother with her four children in the car. She was driving with a BAC of .23 when she had an accident with another motorist. One her kids was killed. The court felt it could not punish Defendant any more harshly than the punishment of losing a child. Her term of probation still included some county jail time. Lorusso This Defendant was perhaps was the least sympathetic. The factual basis revealed that he was belligerent with the police, was spitting blood at officers and told the police he did not care about his passengers. It was one his passengers that was killed. By the sentencing hearing, Defendant had changed his tune. The court was informed of his change in attitude and remorse. Palmer This defendant suffered from hypoglycemia when his car crossed the center line and struck the victim’s head-on. There was evidence he was having a hypoglycemic episode at the time of the accident. Unfortunately, he also had cannabis in his system. Patel This was another mother who accidently killed a child. This was a single car accident. The father and other siblings all testified they did not want to their mother to go to prison. Additionally, her business would fail if she was imprisoned. Again, the court felt it could not punish her more harshly than the self imposed death of her child. |
