Hoffman Estates man faces DUI charge after crash

A 24-year-old Hoffman Estates man is facing a felony DUI charge after police say he drove an SUV through a stop light in Crystal Lake early Sunday morning and collided with a car, leaving one of its passengers seriously injured.

Ruben Zendejas, of the 1900 block of Governors Lane, is charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, disregarding a traffic control light and failure to carry a license, stemming from the crash at 2:17 a.m. Sunday.

Crystal Lake police said Zendejas was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Trailblazer northbound on Oak Street when he ran a red light at Route 176 and collided in the intersection with a 2000 Saab driven by Clarissa Hamstra, 26, of Crystal Lake. The collision sent the Saab into a traffic light pole and utility pole on the northwest corner of the intersection, police said.

A rear seat passenger in the Saab, Brandon Ferreira, 22, of Algonquin, was extricated from the car and taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, where he remained Monday recovering from what police described as serious injuries.

Police said Zendejas suffered minor injuries and was taken to Centegra Hospital-Woodstock, where he was treated and released before being transported to the McHenry County jail. He appeared in court Monday morning, when a judge set bond at $5,000. He is scheduled to return to court Wednesday.