Man sentenced to home confinement for fatal Lincolnshire DUI crash
A 67-year-old man was sentenced to 36 months of home confinement Wednesday for killing a Wheeling woman in a 2012 DUI-related car crash in Lincolnshire.
However, John Warsaw of Glencoe, needs to serve only six more months of electronic home monitoring after he was awarded 30 months of credit by Lake County Judge James K. Booras for time he has served on 24-hour curfew since the crash that killed Shruti Phandis, 26, of Wheeling. Booras also ordered Warsaw to serve 42 months of probation, pay $1,000 to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists and pay $6,900 in court costs and fees.
The sentence came after Warsaw pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death in the crash.
Warsaw choked back tears as he struggled to read a statement during the court hearing.
"I would have willingly traded places with (Phandis)," Warsaw said as he addressed the victim's family members in court. "I have lived enough years to see life, and she did not. I'm so deeply sorry for your loss."
Authorities said witnesses saw Warsaw traveling on Route 22 when his car drove into a ditch, struck a street sign and hit the median in Buffalo Grove. After turning onto southbound Route 21 and entering Lincolnshire, Warsaw's Honda crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a Toyota Corolla in which Phandis was a passenger, authorities said.
Other vehicle occupants were injured in the crash but survived.
Warsaw was charged with multiple counts of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death, aggravated DUI resulting in great bodily harm and reckless homicide for the Jan. 13, 2012, crash. Assistant State's Attorney Michael Ori said those charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.
The sentence normally has a range of three to 14 years in prison. However, a judge can sentence a person to probation or conditional discharge should extraordinary circumstances exist.
Ori said the state agreed to home confinement rather than prison time because Warsaw faces significant medical and health issues.
"We felt there was extraordinary circumstances in this case because he has missed significant court appearances while he was in the hospital, sometimes for months at a time," Ori said after the hearing.
In court, defense attorney Donald Morrison said Warsaw suffers from life-threatening coronary artery disease, severe carotid artery disease, and has various spinal cord and back issues. Warsaw has attended hearings using a cane and wearing a back brace.
Warsaw had a blood alcohol content of .08 the night of the crash, but Morrison also argued there was evidence the medical conditions could have been a contributing factor.
Family members from both sides cried while two victim impact statements were read in court.
"She was beautiful, kind and loving," said husband, Devang Vora. "I consider myself lucky to have her come into my life."