Man Pleads to DUI in Illinois Highway Worker’s Death
A southern Illinois man pleaded guilty Monday to four felonies alleging he was driving impaired when he caused a 2012 wreck that killed a highway construction worker and injured three others.
Michael Jeter, 36, of West Frankfort entered the pleas in St. Clair County to four counts of aggravated driving under the influence, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. He faces up to 10 years in prison as part of a plea agreement when sentenced June 4.
Authorities have said Jeter was on the sleep aid Ambien and an antihistamine at the time of the May 2012 wreck on Interstate 64. The crash killed 38-year-old contract worker Dennis Beard of Pocahontas and injured three others who were waiting in the median to paint stripes on the freeway.
During Monday’s hearing, prosecutor Laura Reppert said Jeter worked in a coal mine from 4 p.m. to midnight on the eve of the accident, went home and took Ambien at 2 a.m. and awoke in the morning to make a two-hour drive to St. Louis for an appointment at the Veterans Affairs hospital.
After getting his Ambien prescription refilled, Jeter was driving back to his area when other motorists reported he began driving erratically at speeds surpassing 85 mph. He left the roadway and hit Dennis Beard – a married father of three – and the three other workers.
Under the plea agreement, Jeter’s attorney, John O’Gara, can argue for five years in prison. Reppert will argue for a 10-year sentence, the newspaper reported.
- EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs
- Jury Awards $80M to 3 Former Zurich NA Employees for Wrongful Termination
- California Sees Two More Property Insurers Withdraw From Market
- Beyond the Claim: How Social Canvassing is Transforming Insurance Fraud Detection
- California Chiropractor Sentenced to 54 Years for $150M Workers’ Comp Scheme
- Mother of 8-Year-Old ‘Violently Sucked’ into Houston Hotel Pool Files Wrongful Death Suit
- Poll: Consumers OK with AI in P/C Insurance, but Not So Much for Claims and Underwriting
- Millions of Recalled Hyundai and Kia Vehicles, With Dangerous Defect, Remain on Road